Unsupervised
by padme's sister
Summary: When Superman and Supergirl both go missing, Lois Lane takes it upon herself to carry on the investigation. Sidelined by the DEO yet determined not to be put on the bench, Lois teams up with the most unlikely of allies - Lena Luthor - and the two set out to find their missing Supers whilst avoiding not just the DEO, but the sinister forces who are lurking in the shadows as well.
1. Lost: 1 Alien - answers to the name Kara

It had been a long day for Lois Lane. A very long day.

And a very boring one.

She hadn't had a decent scoop since forever.

Well all right, since last week, but even so. No news may be good news for some, but not for her. Her whole life revolved around finding the next story, the next angle, the next moment. For a journalist to have nothing to write about, it was virtually comparable to a fish without water, or a storm without thunder. A bike without wheels. It just didn't work. It was uncomfortable. In fact, it was downright irritating.

Sitting on the porch swing of the Kent farm, a bottle of soda in hand and gazing at the sunset, she was just debating whether a piece on the various shades of pastel that the sky could turn would be a front page headline – or more to the point, could she MAKE it a front page headline? - when in the distance, a car came down the lane, stopped outside the farm entrance, then after a few seconds of hesitation – the driver clearly checking that this was the right place – the car swung in and began the long trip down the gravel track.

"Well, what have we here?" Lois muttered to herself before taking another swig from the bottle and setting it down, watching the car with keen eyes. It wasn't one she recognized. And anyone she did know, knew that she and Clark had taken a week off to return to the farm for a break from the busy city, so they wouldn't have bothered coming all the way out here to pester them. Not unless it was really important, anyway. But then a phone call first to warn them would have been appreciated.

The windows were completely blacked out of the SUV, and something about the whole thing screamed 'military' at her.

"Smallville, visitors," she spoke calmly, not bothering to raise her voice because she knew that Clark would have heard her anyway. He'd probably heard the car coming long before she'd even known it was there, after all.

"I know," he spoke suddenly into her ear as he appeared on the porch swing beside her - the only indication that he'd just arrived (other than his sudden appearance) being Lois' hair plastered across her face from the gust of wind he'd caused upon his rapid entrance.

Scraping the hair away from her face, she glared at him. "Was the 'whoosh' really necessary?"

"I was in the barn," he shrugged, by way of an explanation. "Some of the machinery's gone a little rusty."

He rubbed at one ear and Lois watched him for a moment, then sighed. "Your ear again?"

"The ringing came back about five minutes ago," he nodded. "It'll stop in a minute. It doesn't last very long each time."

"I told you not to get a building dumped on your head," Lois shrugged as she turned her attention back to the car. "So it's your own fault."

Clark frowned, about to protest that an entire city had been crumbling because of an earthquake, but sensing that she was perhaps not in her best mood today, he decided not to.

He knew why she was being like this, though. She had itchy fingers. She was desperate to get back to Metropolis and write. She was desperate to get out and investigate, and recently there hadn't actually been anything truly groundbreaking to write about, which was why she and Clark had decided now would be the best time for their 'vacation' whilst things were calm and Superman wouldn't be missed.

Besides, all the trivial stories had been covered already by the rookie journalists in the bullpen, and Lois Lane was above and beyond these stories now that she was Superman's official reporter. The fact that she and Clark also had their own office up on a higher floor also showed their status and the fact that they were on their way to the top, after years of hard work and dedication.

It was now her job to report on all the Man of Steel's activities, but considering the Man of Steel was also her fiancé, she knew there would be no stories from him in the immediate future.

Clark was enjoying the break, but Lois wasn't. She couldn't wait for him to don his 'iconic' outfit and do some 'hero' stuff again, just to give her something to write about.

"Am I really the only one who's finding it hard to believe that there's NOTHING going on right at this moment that requires Superman's attention?" She sighed, picking up her soda bottle again as finally the black SUV – still screaming military at her (Probably the General, come to check up on her again. He had a habit of dropping in at the most inconvenient times. Or maybe it was her kid sister and pain in the ass, Lucy?) – pulled up alongside the white picket fence that marked out the farm house's small grass lawn and flower garden.

"I'm sure Kara's got it covered, if there is anything going on," Clark replied. "You know she promised to keep an eye on Metropolis for us as well as National City. Besides, I'm surprised you're not more intrigued by our guest," Clark smirked as Lois took another swig from the bottle.

"It's just the General, probably," she shrugged.

"I don't think it is," Clark shook his head as the door opened and a pair of boots emerged from the car, stepping out onto the gravel. Who the boots belonged to, still remained to be seen as the owner of said feet was hidden behind the car door still.

"What makes you say that?" Lois frowned, still convinced it was her father.

"Because those boots belong to a woman," Clark replied.

"How do you -?" Lois started, staring at him for a few seconds before realising what he'd done and slapping him on the shoulder. "Oh, you cheat! Using X-ray vision does not count!"

Clark bit back his retort as the car door finally slammed shut and his theory was confirmed.

Their visitor was indeed a woman. About five six in height, she was slim but by no means thin. There was a good deal of muscle beneath the surface, giving her a more athletic look, rather than a supermodel one. Pale skin and short red hair that was cut into a messy bob, along with dark, inquisitive eyes that were currently surveying the surroundings with curious interest.

She wasn't wearing a uniform of any kind – just black cargo pants and a black polo shirt, but something about her did indeed scream 'military' to Clark. Lois was right about that theory, it would seem. Though he of course had the added advantage of knowing this woman. Lois – to his knowledge at least – didn't. Though she'd heard about her from her much more famous sister.

As she glanced towards the house and spotted the two occupants on the swing, the woman turned sharply on her heel and headed for them at a brisk walk, head carried high and proud, a very distinct posture with no slouching or sloppiness, that clearly displayed she meant business. She didn't march, as such, but Clark had no doubt in his mind that she could, if she desired, and it would be a very imposing thing indeed. Very regimental.

"Do you guys realise how damned impossible you both are to get hold of?!" She asked as they both stood from the swing, Lois setting her bottle down to one side once more.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Lois retorted without thinking, earning a glare from Clark.

The woman stopped before them, glanced from one to the other and then looked back to Clark, deciding she'd get a better answer from him.

"Agent Danvers," he greeted her, walking down the steps and extending a hand. "What a pleasant surprise! What brings you here?"

"Wait, Danvers?" Lois frowned, also coming down the steps. "Any relation of Kara Danvers?"

"She's my sister," Agent Danvers replied with a tight smile. Then she glanced to Clark before amending. "Well, 'adoptive' sister, if you catch my meaning?"

"Lois, this is Alex. Alex this is Lois, my fiancée," Clark introduced them both to one another as they shook hands. Then he looked to Alex. "Is there something we can do for you, Alex? Why don't you come inside?"

"Actually," Alex was looking all around as if expecting to see someone. "I was hoping Kara might be here? I tried calling you both, but seeing as you decided to go 'off the grid' and turn your cells off, I ended up having to drive all the way out here instead."

"Here?" Lois frowned, even as Clark asked "Why would she be here?"

"Well, she hasn't checked in for at least eight hours now, and we're kind of starting to get worried," Alex admitted after a brief hesitation. Whilst Clark was Superman, Lois was still a civilian. And a reporter at that. A damned good one, if the Pulitzers and various other accolades were anything to go by. Still, she was worried about her sister and if that meant that a civilian got involved, then so be it. She'd accept the consequences – and the reprimand from J'onn later.

"She's probably just in Metropolis," Lois shrugged, not truly understanding the implications of Alex's words. "Clark asked her to keep an eye on both cities whilst we were gone, which shouldn't be too hard because… well, basically nothing has happened in Metropolis for the past two weeks now. It's been disappointingly boring, from a journalistic point of view."

"It's the same in National City," Alex agreed. "Something's not right."

"Kara doesn't just miss her check ins," Clark agreed. "It's not like her."

"We've checked with our Metropolis Field Agents," Alex sighed, deciding that Lois had just as much right to know as Clark. She did know his secret, after all. And Kara's. She wasn't just any random civilian. "Kara hasn't checked in with them either. No-one's seen her. It's like she's just vanished."

"Have you tried the Fortress of Solitude?" Clark asked, folding his arms across his broad chest, his brows furrowing deeper and deeper with concern.

Alex shook her head. "J'onn J'onzz is on his way there now, but since Cyborg Superman broke in and your new security measures have been put in place, he wasn't sure if he would even be able to get in."

"Ah," Clark looked suitably chagrined at that, even blushing a little as Lois turned to him. Alex wasn't sure why he was looking so embarrassed at first, until Lois spoke, one eyebrow rising.

"Someone broke into the Fortress? Clark, honey, are you still leaving your key under the doormat? I warned you that would only invite trouble."

"I know, I know," he sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I… found a new place for it now, though."

"And now J'onn won't be able to get in to see if Kara's there or not," Alex sighed.

"Look on the bright side?" Lois suggested. "If this J'onn can't get in, then it must mean the door's locked, right? Does Kara have a habit of locking herself in when she's there?"

"To be honest, I have no idea," Alex groaned, rubbing a hand across the back of her neck in agitation, though to be fair, Lois had made a valid point that she'd not even considered. Perhaps having a journalist's perspective on everything may not be such a bad thing?

"All I know is she's not checked in, and it's not like her. I can't even reach her on her cell, she's not been to work – for either job – she's not in her apartment, she's not in Metropolis… something's not right."

Clark considered for a moment, and then he nodded. "I'll do a flyby of Metropolis then head to the Fortress, help J'onn. With any luck, she's just in there doing a bit of research on something." Then he turned back to Lois. "I'm sorry, Lo, but it looks like the vacation's over."

Rather than look upset, disappointed or even angry at this however, Lois beamed in delight. "Thank God! No offense, Clark, as lovely and relaxing as this place is, I was going stir crazy! Now my reporter's nose is itching, and I just need to scratch it!"

"I'm sorry?" Alex frowned, afraid she may have misheard.

"I'm coming with you," Lois nodded brightly.

Alex scoffed and shook her head. "I don't think so, Miss Lane."

"Well I do, Agent Danvers. We come as a pair, he and I. You don't get one without the other. So you want OUR help? I'm coming with you." She placed a hand over Clark's chest, roughly over where the large 's' symbol would be on his suit, just to make her point.

Alex turned to Clark, her mouth working furiously, but no words coming out. After a moment, they came tumbling out in a frantic, annoyed frenzy.

"Clark, she cannot come with me! You know she'll never get within a hundred feet of the… of where I work if J'onn has anything to say in the matter. Which he does, seeing that he's the Director and all."

"Clark, honey?" Lois smiled sweetly up at him. "I'm going. I'll see you in a few days, alright?"

"Alex," Clark sighed with a humorless smile. "Look how big I am. Do you know what that means?"

"That you can bench press a cruise liner?"

"That I don't fit on the couch. Take her with you. Believe me when I say that it's the lesser of two evils."

Alex raised an eyebrow at them both, unable to believe what she was hearing. She needed Superman. She didn't need the annoyance that was Lois Lane. But apparently she wouldn't get one without the other. The phrase "take it or leave it" sprung to mind and she knew she had no choice.

So, knowing that she would more than likely regret these next words, but feeling duty bound to say them anyway, she nodded. "I'll be in the car. Don't be too long, Miss Lane, or I WILL leave without you."

"Ouch," Lois grumbled as Alex stalked away, back to the SUV. "Who pissed on her pancakes this morning?"

"Lois," Clark attempted to sound stern, though he was fighting back a smirk. "Please play nice whilst I'm gone? Her sister's gone AWOL. Think how you'd feel if I just disappeared without a trace."

"I can't even imagine it, Clark," Lois replied, serious and sombre as his words hit home. "Promise you won't leave me?"

"Only for a short while," he smiled properly this time, kissing her lightly on the lips. "I'll be back before you know it."

Not satisfied with just this little peck from her future husband, Lois wrapped her arms about his neck and pulled him in for a proper kiss, full of passion and love and all the things they felt about one another. His hands wrapped about her, to hold her close, and Lois was pretty sure she could have stayed there for all eternity, lips locked with the man she loved, his strong arms protectively wrapped about her…

The illusion was shattered by a loud blast on a car horn. There was a moment's silence wherein the two of them jumped apart, startled, and then Alex pressed her hand on the horn again and held it there this time.

"Alright, alright!" Lois snapped, shooting an angry glare in Alex's direction as she threw one hand in the air. "Sheesh!"

"Remember, play nice. I'll see you soon," Clark grinned, ripping open his shirt to reveal the famous scarlet 'S' emblazoned against royal blue and gold. The blink of an eye later, his 'farm boy' clothes were fluttering to the floor as he streaked into the sky, nothing but a red and blue blur.

"Man, I love it when he does that," Lois grinned to herself as she once again brushed the hair back from her face before bending and scooping up his clothes, hurrying them back inside the farmhouse.

* * *

The trip back to National City was incredibly quiet. And incredibly tense.

And incredibly long.

Mainly because they had to drive the whole way. When Alex had told her that they would be flying back to National City, Lois had had to admit that she was on the 'no fly' list. Alex, not believing her, had had Winn check to see, and was furious when the he'd confirmed it to be the case.

"How the hell did you even get yourself on the 'no fly' list?!" She'd snapped, diverting the car away from the airport and seeing no other alternative, setting them on the highway out of town instead.

"Long story," Lois shrugged. "I mean, we've got the time, but I'm not sure you're in the mood to hear it."

"You're right, I'm not."

"Are you mad?"

"No, I'm not mad. I'm fucking furious!"

"Yeah… I sensed that," Lois nodded, biting her lip for a moment. "Want me to drive for a—"

"Nope."

"Okay. Well if you get tired, let me know and I can—"

"No."

"... Okay."

Every time Lois had tried to engage in some sort of conversation with Alex after that, to pass the time, she'd been met with short, snappy, one or two word answers. Occasionally, three if she was lucky.

They drove through the night and on into the morning, and were still nowhere close to National City. Lois had slept, fidgeted, had one sided conversations, messaged Clark, checked her phone a dozen times for a reply, checked the news on her phone, checked the weather, rechecked the news, checked again another dozen times for a message from Clark, hunted all around the dashboard for a place to plug in her phone after she'd drained the battery, slept some more and was now sitting twiddling her thumbs – quite literally – as she waited for her phone to recharge so she could check it again.

"Aren't you tired?" She asked her stoically silent companion at last. "I could take over for a bit if you wanted to catch some shut eye? I promise I won't hit anything… well… I promise I won't 'try' to hit anything."

Alex just glared across at her, hands gripping firmly to the steering wheel. "You talk a lot."

This surprised Lois. It was the most she'd been able to get out of the other woman for hours. "Well, I'm just not comfortable with uncomfortable silences, and you're not exactly keeping up with your end of the conversation."

Alex glanced at her again, then sighed and her grip visibly relaxed on the steering wheel. "Sorry. I'm just worried."

"About your sister?" Lois asked, turning in her seat slightly, sensing that finally she might be about to engage in some conversation that wasn't entirely one sided.

"This isn't like Kara," Alex nodded through gritted teeth, doing her best to keep her emotions in check and failing miserably. "She doesn't do this. She's… she's the carefree, happy go lucky, 'sun is always shining, today is a good day' kind of person. Even when it's pissing cats and dogs, she'll always see the bright side of everything. She doesn't just drop off the radar. She doesn't just skip work for no reason – either her civilian job, or her superhero one. One of her best friends owns CatCo where she works, another works alongside her there… more of her friends and family work at her other job… what reason could she have for skipping out on the job and the people she loves? It just… it doesn't make sense!"

A fist pounded angrily off the steering wheel, making Lois jump. She bit her lip for a moment, trying to judge the other woman and her obviously foul mood, and then she did what Lois Lane does best. Charged right on in, no holds barred, no holding back. No cares for her own safety.

"Who does she work for?"

Alex gave her a sideways glance that clearly suggested she couldn't believe she'd just been asked that.

"CatCo. I just said—"

"No, no, no not her civilian job. Her 'other' job. The cape and tights getup gig."

"Oh. That's classified."

"Huh," Lois considered for a moment. Though she was in 'reporter' mode now, not to be perturbed or put off by anything. Lois Lane didn't take 'no' for an answer. "Alright then, who do YOU work for?"

"Also classified."

"Huh," Lois nodded again. Then she frowned. "Wait, is that actually the name of the company? Classified? Damn, that's a good name. Great for avoiding any unwanted questions. 'Where do you work?', 'Classified'. Bet it comes in handy a lot."

"I…" Alex hesitated, confused. "I can't work out if you're joking or actually being serious, right now."

"So Classified isn't the name of the company you work for?" Lois pouted. "Why not? It's a good name."

"I'll put in a suggestion with the boss when I get back," Alex replied, and the corner of her mouth quirked up a bit. It would have been optimistic to call it a smile, but it was a start. Lois didn't miss it, but she decided not to point it out for now in case Alex slammed her defences back up and shut the other woman out again. That would have been a shame, given the progress they were currently making, after all.

"Okay so… you and Kara work at a place that isn't called Classified, for some reason. What can you tell me about—"

"Classified."

"Will you let me finish! What can you tell me about the place that isn't the place that isn't called Classified."

"… What?" Alex frowned, totally confused.

"Oh come on, I work for their rival. Speaking the name of that place is like speaking the name of He Who Must Not Be Named."

"I never had you pegged as a Harry Potter nerd."

"Likewise," Lois smirked, and Alex realised the trap she'd just fallen into. She didn't bother to complain because as much as she hated to admit it, talking to Lois was providing a good distraction from the monotony of driving and the worries about Kara.

"Alright, fair point. Well CatCo—"

"Ah!" Lois held up one finger, fixing Alex with a stern glare of warning.

Alex stopped the car sharply with a screech of tires and glared at her in return, matching Lois' intensity and then dialling it up several notches, and Lois grew uncomfortable under the other woman's scrutinizing gaze. It was almost as if Alex was trying to peel back every layer of the protective shield Lois had spent years building up around herself using snark, wit, sarcasm and sass.

It made Lois feel suddenly vulnerable and exposed. There was only one person she would ever tolerate feeling this vulnerable and exposed around, and it certainly wasn't Alex Danvers.

"Eyes front soldier!" She snapped at last, pointing to her eyes, then to the road in front of them. Alex blinked, but surprisingly did as she was told – a good soldier following orders as she looked forwards once more and pulled away, thankful that the road they were on was pretty deserted. She'd stepped on the brakes without thought for other road users and was only now realising her stupidity at such an action. Her worries about Kara were seriously clouding her judgement.

Lois also blinked in surprise, amazed it had even worked. Perhaps being an army brat had it's advantages after all.

They travelled for another hour in silence, before finally Lois grew bored and began to fidget again. Her phone still wasn't charged – how long did it need?! - and she was getting restless.

"Are we nearly there yet?"

"You sound like a child."

"_You sound like a child,_" Lois mimicked petulantly.

Alex had two choices open to her at that very moment. Three if she wanted to get violent. But seeing as Clark wouldn't take too kindly to her if he found out she'd punched his fiancée in the face, and she'd never hear the end of it if she pulled over and made Lois get out now and walk the rest of the way, she really didn't have any choice but to go with the third option.

"You wanted to know about the Media Company whose name I'm apparently not supposed to mention?"

"You can say the name," Lois grumbled sulkily. "I was just trying to have a joke, but apparently they're beyond you. Or beneath you, most likely."

Alex bit her tongue and silently vowed never to volunteer for any assignments that involved Lois Lane ever again. She counted to three, to calm herself down, then forced herself to speak calmly once more.

"Okay, you wanted to know about CatCo Worldwide Media? Why?"

"Just curious," Lois sighed as she sat up in the seat, realising that Alex was trying to offer a proverbial olive branch of sorts and knowing that their squabble had been petty. Plus she didn't like sitting in silence, so any excuse for a conversation was good enough for her. "Besides, I know the score. I'm a civilian. Which means I also know that when we get to National City, you're going to be off doing your Confidential Secret Agent stuff, and I'd rather not be sitting on the sidelines doing nothing. I'd have stayed at the farm if I'd wanted to do that. So I thought maybe I could check out Kara's day job. Her civilian life. See if I can find any clues there."

"And you're just going to walk into a rival media company and do what exactly?"

"What I do best," Lois smiled brightly, her sulk forgotten now. "Be a journalist."

"Lois, look," Alex sighed as she turned the car off the road they were on and finally the city came into view, at last. "I let you come to National City with me, but that doesn't mean I had to like it. I know it's a lot to ask, but please, can you try to stay out of trouble until I can work out what the hell to do with you?"

"What the hell to do with me? What the hell does that mean? Am I under house arrest?"

"You're overreacting. I think it would be best for everyone if we held you someplace safe and had someone watch you to—"

"Someone watch me?" Lois repeated, raising one eyebrow. "You're making me out to be some kind of prisoner. Or worse… a child! That's it, that's exactly what I feel like right now! A naughty child who is being punished by her uptight, 'doesn't know how to have fun' mother. All because I asked if I could go out to play."

"You're a journalist, and journalists are trouble," Alex was trying to keep calm and not snap again, but Lois sure knew how to press all the wrong buttons. "Especially you. I've heard the stories. The lengths you'll go to, to get the next scoop."

Rather than be annoyed by this particular comment though, Lois beamed with pride. "My reputation precedes me, it would seem."

"Exactly. Which is why I've been told to take no chances."

"By your top secret Government agency? Please tell me it at least has an acronym I can call it by?"

"FBI."

"Right," Lois scoffed. "As if I'm going to believe you work for the Feds."

"You don't have to, but it's the cover I use everywhere else, so I'd appreciate if you could go along with it and not screw up my day any more than it already is."

"Wait… if I've got to keep your cover intact, that means I'm actually going to speak to people! Have I been let out on early parole for good behaviour?"

Alex knew Lois was just winding her up on purpose now, so didn't even deign to reply. Instead she pulled the SUV into the parking lot of an apartment complex, killed the engine and sighed. "Come with me."


	2. L is for Trouble

Alex's apartment was small, modest yet tastefully decorated, Lois discovered as she stepped through the door that Alex held open for her. If this was going to be her home for the next few days, she could live with that.

Alex noticed Lois' eyes appraising everything around her and taking it all in. "Everything all right?"

"I've been in worse prisons," Lois shrugged, moving further into the apartment and taking a seat on the sofa.

"Most people would say that as a joke, but I get the feeling you're not joking," Alex replied as she closed and locked the door. Lois wanted to make a comment that locking the door wasn't going to stop her from getting out again, when she saw that Alex now had her cell phone to her ear and was pacing back and forth as she waited for the person on the other end to answer.

"J'onn, it's me. Any luck?" She asked as soon as the line was picked up – no hesitations, no hellos. Lois turned to face the other woman, waiting expectantly and listening intently.

"No, she wasn't at the Kent farm either. Superman went to the Fortress to find you and Lois came with me, back to National City. We drove through the night to get here and… what? No I know she's a civilian… I know… J'onn, I couldn't stop her..." Alex cast a furious glare at Lois over her shoulder, but Lois didn't shy away. She wasn't ashamed of what she'd done. If anything she was impatient to find out what was being said to Alex right at that very moment. Which judging by Alex's frown, was nothing good.

"No, he left us and said he was going to do a flyby over Metropolis, then come straight to you at the Fortress. That was yesterday. You mean he never showed up?"

Lois sat bolt upright. "Alex—"

Alex raised a hand to Lois, forestalling the verbal assault that was sure to be forthcoming.

"J'onn, Lois is with me now and—"

"Give me that!" Lois was on her feet and snatching the phone from Alex's hands before the young agent knew what was happening. "Listen to me, J'onn… yes it's me Lois! No, I'm not giving the phone back to Alex, listen to me damn it! Where is Clark? Is he with you now? Did you see him?… No no no, don't you tell me to calm down, J'onn J'onzz. You tell me where Clark is or I'll—"

Alex snatched the phone back from Lois again, the two ending up in a momentary wrestling match over it. They grunted and cursed one another, their argument turning louder and angrier with each passing moment. It may even have turned into an all out brawl if J'onn hadn't suddenly appeared in the apartment, having used his powers to simply walk right through the locked door.

"Alright, you two, that's enough!" He barked, stepping between them and glaring first at Alex, then at Lois. "You're both lucky I was nearby. We're two Supers down, and the last thing I need is any of my agents getting involved in altercations with civilians! Miss Lane, I understand you're worried about Superman. Agent Danvers, I understand the same about you and Supergirl, but fighting amongst ourselves is not going to solve anything!"

Alex and Lois glared at one another for a moment longer, then Lois finally let go of the phone in Alex's hand. "He's right. I'm sorry."

"Me too," Alex nodded, tucking her phone away and pushing her hair back out of her eyes, looking exhausted all of a sudden as her drive through the night seemed to be catching up to her.

"So, what's the situation?" Lois turned to J'onn, who raised an eyebrow at her. She scowled right back. "Don't give me that look. Clark Kent is my fiancé. That makes me more than just an ordinary civilian. I have a right to know what's going on!"

"I agree," J'onn nodded, cutting off any further protests by Lois, who blinked in surprise.

"Oh. You do?"

"Absolutely. If anything happened to M'gann, I'd be beside myself with worry too. In fact, I am right now. Kara is like a daughter to me, and I hate not knowing what's happened to her just as much as the rest of you do. But we can't just go blundering in, looking for trouble when we don't know what it is we're dealing with."

He motioned to the sofa, and reluctantly Lois sat back down on it. J'onn looked to Alex. "I know you're tired and worried, but I need you back at HQ. Can you call someone to come and sit with Miss Lane for a while? Mr Olsen, perhaps?"

"On it," Alex nodded quietly, taking her phone back out and walking into her bedroom so that she wouldn't be overheard.

"J'onn, I don't need a babysitter," Lois protested as he sat down on the sofa with her. "I need to be out there, looking for my fiance and his cousin."

"No you don't, Lois. My people are already on the case. Whatever has happened to the Supers, we'll find them. But we can't do that if we have to constantly watch out for you at every step of the way. So please, stay here and try to get some rest. I promise, you will be the first to know as soon as we know anything."

"You promise?" Lois asked, fixing him with a steady gaze.

"Absolutely," he took her hand as he said it, and gave it a comforting squeeze. "I promise that we'll find Clark and Kara, and we'll bring them home. We just need you to stay here and not get in the way. Can you do that?"

"I—"

"Lois, please."

With a deep, resigned sigh of defeat, Lois nodded. "All right fine. Just make sure it's a decent babysitter, yeah?"

"I was thinking more of a friend than a babysitter," J'onn chuckled. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a couple of twenty dollar bills, setting them on the coffee table. "I know it's still the morning, but a little later on, why don't I ask Mr Olsen to bring a couple of coffees and some sweet pastries up with him. Then you two can maybe watch a few movies or some daytime tv? I'm sure you've both got plenty to catch up on?"

"You know, in all my thirty four years on this planet, I don't think my father has ever done anything like this for me," Lois grinned as she nodded to the money. "You're more of a father to me already, and you're not even from this planet."

"Better keep that to yourself," J'onn smiled patiently – a fatherly smile of pride. He had experience at playing the role model and father figure to Kara and Alex, after all.

"Oh, don't worry, I've kept Clark's secret all these years. I'm sure keeping yours will be a piece of cake," Lois grinned as she reached over and took the tv remote, switching it on and beginning a search of the channels to see what was on.

J'onn, seemingly satisfied with Lois' compliance, stood up and walked over to Alex. "I have to get back. Come find me as soon as Mr Olsen turns up." He glanced over to Lois, who'd found an rerun of Sex and the City to watch. "I don't think she'll give you any more problems."

"Let's hope so," Alex nodded. "I'm exhausted, and she's REALLY hard work! Like more work than hyper Kara. And that's saying something."

J'onn chuckled and patted her shoulder fondly, before he let himself out, using the door this time.

Little did either of them know, Lois actually hated Sex and the City and had absolutely no intentions of 'playing ball' or staying where she was. She was putting on a front, for now. The defeated young woman who knew when to do as she was told.

All she had to do was wait for the opportune moment.

James arrived not long after J'onn had left, and Lois was both surprised by his appearance and delighted to see him. They spent the best part of the next two hours catching up on everything – including but not limited to James' relationship with her sister Lucy, their subsequent break up, his work at the Daily Planet alongside her and Clark, and his work here and now in National City.

Alex had slipped out at some point, though neither of them could have honestly said when that was, and James had indeed done as J'onn had requested, supplying the coffee and a movie.

Towards the end of the movie, however, the novelty of seeing an old friend like James had worn off, and Lois' fears had returned once more. She'd grown fidgety and restless, as she often did when something was on her mind, and in the end James reached for the remote and switched it off.

"Hey, I was watching that," Lois protested half-heartedly, as she stared at the screen of her phone again for the billionth time.

"He still hasn't made contact yet?" James asked, his smile unable to offer anything but weak comfort as he gestured at the tiny screen in her hand.

"It's not like him to go silent like this. I dunno, maybe it's the signal? It's pretty crappy here?" She started to hold up her phone above her head, waving it about. Then she stood up and began to pace, shaking her head and muttering.

"Hey, Lois," James stood, drawing Lois' attention back to him. His smile was gentle, and his eyes were sympathetic. "I get it. You're worried sick. But we don't know that Clark's gone missing yet," he assured her as he started to clear away the empty coffee cups and the package of cookies that Lois had found stashed in one of Alex's cupboards.

"J'onn said that he never showed up at the Fortress."

"Which means nothing. You know Clark, he probably got sidetracked helping to rescue a kitten out of a tree, or he's putting out a forest fire or something." He looked up from his domestic chore, smiling again.

Even though James was being deliberately sarcastic, it made Lois grin involuntarily anyway because as much as she was worried about her future husband, James was right. Clark often hopped across the pond to France before breakfast to help his friend Diana take care of business. He'd stopped off in China on his way home a few weeks ago to help the local police deal with a drugs bust that had gone wrong, and just last week in fact, before their vacation, he'd gone to Canada on his lunch break to help repair a burst dam.

"He'll probably call me later," she nodded, not at all convinced, but knowing that for the moment she was helpless.

"Why don't you go and get some rest," James suggested, putting the rubbish down for a moment and walking over to her, to offer her a friendly hug. "J'onn said you and Alex drove through the night to get here. You must be exhausted? Go get some sleep and I'll let you know as soon as anything happens."

"Yeah, maybe I'll do that," Lois nodded, feigning a yawn. "Thanks Jimmy."

"No problem, Lo," he smiled patiently, watching her take herself off in the direction of Alex's bedroom. As soon as she'd left, the smile disappeared from his face and a thoughtful look took its place.

Anyone who'd work with Lois, like James had, would know she wasn't this easily defeated. Lois was brave, smart, funny, witty, sarcastic to the extreme at times, and she didn't take no for an answer. One of her 'rules' of reporting was to do whatever it takes to get the story. James had seen the lengths she'd gone to before. Lois Lane was not this easily defeated especially when it came to Clark Kent. She was more than motivated, she was also more than capable, which dictated his next action.

Moving to sit on the arm of the sofa closest to the bedroom door, he pulled out his cell phone and dialled a number. He held the phone to his ear but glanced in the mirror on the opposite wall, his back to Lois but part of his attention still trained on her.

"Winn, hey it's me. I was just wondering if you had any updates on the Supers?"

For a moment, there was no movement from the bedroom, but James carried on anyway, his voice deliberately louder than it needed to be as he put the phone on loudspeaker. "Because you know it's been over a day now and still nothing."

_"__Dude, why are you shouting?"_ Winn's tired voice grumbled into the room. Clearly Lois and Alex weren't the only ones who'd been up all night.

"Sorry, I'm on loudspeaker and wasn't sure if you could hear me."

_"__Uh, hearing you. Very loud and very clear,"_ Winn grumbled again.

"So, anything? Because I'm with Lois now, and she's beside herself with worry. And she's got every right to be."

_"__You're phoning me in front of a civilian?!"_

"No, no no no." Motion in the mirror caused James' gaze to flash that way and then away again, rather purposefully not making eye contact with Lois' reflection. Standing up and pacing, he never went far, always staying within hearing distance of the bedroom. He cleared his throat. "She's asleep in the other room. Listen, Winn, has anyone tried to contact Lena Luthor yet?"

_"__Why would they?"_

"Well, because she and Kara are best friends, both as Kara Danvers and as Supergirl. They're very close. Plus she's, you know, a multi-billionaire and a genius. If anyone's got the money and the resources to help you guys out, it's her."

From Winn's end of the phone, there was a loud sigh. _"I know. And I've already tried to bring up the subject like a hundred times in front of Alex, but she's having none of it. Anyone would think I'd asked her to cut her ring finger off, or something. She just keeps snapping that Lena's an even bigger security risk than Lois. Which, going by Lois' record, is saying a hell of a lot."_

James began to chuckle, turning the noise into a throat clearing. "Why, because she's a Luthor?"

_"__Pretty much."_

Rubbing the back of his neck, James nodded. "I get that. Well, I _got_ that. I remember Lex from back in Metropolis when I worked at the _Planet_, and I'll be the first to admit that I kind of judged her on her brother's actions. But I was wrong. Kara told me that, and Lena has proven herself again and again. I can see that now. Kara trusts her, and Clark's investigated her. He was happy with what he found. The word of two Supers has to be more than enough, right? You see it, don't you, man?"

_"__Hey, I don't make the rules. I just do as I'm told. I'm just the 'tech nerd'. 'Hack this, Winn'. 'Look up that, Winn'. Do people realise I can do stuff other than be a nerd?"_

James sighed, giving a quick glance to the mirror which revealed Lois still eavesdropping, none too subtly now, either.

"Oh, come on, man. You're sure Alex can't even spend a few moments to at least talk to Lena? She's got a couple of meetings this morning at Catco, one at nine-thirty with some important visitor from the UK, and the other at eleven. I'm sure the eleven o'clock one could be postponed if you asked Lena's assistant Eve?"

In the bedroom, Lois had her reporter's notebook out and was scribbling notes frantically as she crouched in the doorway. She made note of the times of the meetings and Eve's name, all information that might provide useful.

_"__I've tried, dude. Really I have. But Alex and even J'onn seem dead set about getting Lena involved. And they absolutely don't want Lois to get involved either. So if I were you, I'd do whatever you have to do to keep Lois out of the way and let them get on with it."_

"Maybe," James sighed. "Well, alright. Thanks anyway, Winn. Catch up with you again soon."

From behind James came the telltale creak of the bedroom door closing again, and he grinned as he hung up. With any luck, Lois would be able to work with that little bit of information he'd managed to wave under her nose. She was the kind of person to go and do something amazing now, just to prove to everyone that she could.

He sat back down on the sofa and flicked the tv on again, turning up the volume loud enough that it nearly drowned out any sounds from behind him. When the bedroom door opened again, followed by the soft shuffling of feet in the direction of the front door, it was something that couldn't be heard unless you were listening for it. There was a gentle click and a small motion along the frame of the apartment as Lois slipped out, closing the door behind her.

Jimmy turned down the volume before beginning to flick through the channels. "Go get 'em, Lo."

Lois stopped off at a newsstand on the way to her current destination and purchased the latest copy of CatCo magazine. Inside the cover, it had the company contact details. She could have looked them up on her phone, but if the top secret government agency she still didn't know the name of, was keeping tabs on her, they'd probably have hacked her phone and would know she was up to something. So she was doing some old fashioned investigating instead.

After a bit of a hunt, she finally found a payphone that was still in some form of working order and, digging a few quarters from her purse, she dialled the CatCo number.

_"__Hello, this is CatCo, how may I help you?"_

"Hi," Lois put on her brightest and politest voice, even throwing in a smile because she knew that just because someone couldn't see you, they could still tell if you were smiling or not. "Could I speak to Eve, if possible?"

_"__One moment, please."_

Some incredibly lame and annoyingly upbeat 'on hold' tones began to play down the line as she waited for her call to be connected, but thankfully, she only needed to listen to them for a moment before the line was answered again, this time by a different voice.

"_Lena Luthor's office, Eve Teschmacher speaking, how can I help?"_

"Hi, I'm sorry to bother you," Lois flicked through her reporter's notebook quickly as she spoke, leafing through until she found her page of scribbles, reminding herself of the times of the meetings James had mentioned. It was nine thirty now, so the first of the two meetings would already be underway. Which left only one option... "I have a meeting with Miss Luthor at eleven o'clock…"

She hesitated, hoping that Eve would be the perfect assistant - one who was prompt and organised, and was even now pulling up the information on her screen to verify against what she was hearing on the phone. Lois could hear the woman clicking about on a mouse and breathed a silent sigh of relief. Eve Teschmacher did indeed seem to be one of these people.

_"__Ah yes, Miss Tschudin with Helios Solar Energy, wasn't it?"_

"That's me," Lois grinned broadly. Now she had a name and a time, that was all she needed to get in. Except there was one more thing, to ensure her plan was sound.

"The thing is, there's been a bit of an unexpected change in my schedule for this morning, and I've found myself double booked. So I was wondering if there was any chance I might be able to come in a bit earlier to see Miss Luthor?"

_"__Oh." _Eve hesitated. More clicks from her end of the line. _"Well, she's in a meeting now, but I'm sure it should be fine to come along after that. Would you like me to double-check?"_

"Oh no it's fine, no need to interrupt her meeting now, I'll just come along anyway and if she's free, great. If she's not, I'll just cancel my other meeting that I stupidly booked for the same time. Would that work?"

_"__That will be fine, Miss Tschudin. We look forward to seeing you soon."_

"Great, thank you. I'll be there shortly." Lois beamed proudly as she hung up the payphone receiver.

Digging around in her purse, Lois pulled out a handful of coins and dialed 411, connected with Information, and requested the number for Helios Solar Energy. The number was provided, then the operator offered to connect her for an extra charge.

Instead, Lois noted the number on her pad, hung up, and dialed herself, saving the extra money and only paying the normal cost for the call. She'd never really understood why anyone would pay more for 'convenience' when it really wasn't that hard to hang up and then dial another number.

_"__Helios Solar Energy, how may I connect your call?"_ Came a crisp voice on the other side of the line. More stuck up, and bored sounding than Eve Teschmacher had been. Clearly this person didn't enjoy their job as much.

"Yes, hello," Lois replied. "This is Eve Teschmacher from CatCo Worldwide Media. I'm calling on behalf of Miss Lena Luthor. Would you please connect me with Miss Tschudin?"

_"__One moment please."_

Smiling, Lois waited, though her smile quickly turned into a sigh and barely restrained eye roll as yet more upbeat hold music played across the line.

Fairly quickly, a professional sounding woman interrupted the light jazz. _"Miss Tschudin speaking, how may I help?"_

"Miss Tschudin. You haven't left yet!" Lois said with exaggerated enthusiasm.

_"__Sorry, who is this?"_

"Oh, you mean the operator didn't tell you? It's Eve Teschmacher from CatCo Worldwide Media."

_"__Ah Miss Teschmacher, I wasn't expecting a call from you. Is something wrong?"_

"No. Well, I mean yes. I mean…" Lois sighed, over-exaggerating for emphasis. "I'm so sorry, I'm afraid you're double-booked."

_"__I'm doubled booked?"_

"Yes, I'm so sorry," Lois pushed her voice up into an uncomfortable octave, making it squeak slightly. "I... double-booked you."

_"__I don't understand."_

"Stupid. Stupid. This is the second time, Eve, the second time," Lois chided herself across the line loud enough that her audience could hear her. "Miss Luthor was kind to me last time, but it was such an embarrassment with those investors there and her being new to the role. She apologized in front of them and said it must have been her mistake but… oh, she's going to fire me for sure."

_"__Surely she doesn't need to know? If it helps, I can reschedule?"_

"You could do that?!"

_"__Well, it's really not a problem," _the other woman agreed. _"I haven't even left yet, after all. And it would give me more time to get ready for my 1 o'clock."_

"Oh Miss Tschudin, you are a lifesaver! Well, at least a job saver. My cat is going to have kittens, and I'm naming the cutest one after you! What's your first name?"

She laughed. _"Eugenia."_

"Ah…" Lois paused before putting her best smile on her face again. "Eugenia kitty it is. I'll send you a picture."

Laughing back the woman replied, _"Thank you. I love cats."_

"Who doesn't love cats?" Lois shook her head. "So, when would be a more convenient time to reschedule you for?"

_"__Oh um…"_ There was a clicking of keys. _"I could do Thursday afternoon?"_

"Let me check Miss Luthor's schedule..." Lois tapped her pen several times on the metal surface of the phone booth to mimic keystrokes as best she could. "How about one-thirty?"

_"__That sounds great. I look forward to seeing you and Miss Luthor both then."_

"Oh, we're really looking forward to meeting you too, and Miss Tschudin?" Lois paused, a smile in her voice.

_"__Yes?"_

"You are a veritable angel. Don't ever let anyone tell you otherwise. Thank you for being so understanding, and I really am sorry for the inconvenience."

With a chuckle, the woman replied, _"It's perfectly fine. Have a nice day."_

"You too." Lois hung up. "Sucker. Like taking candy from a baby. Okay, time to go meet Luthor Junior."

Leaving the phone booth, she was about to dump the CatCo magazine in the trash, when she saw the Exclusive story that was listed on the front, all about Lena Luthor becoming the new CEO and owner of the media company. Written by none other than Kara Danvers.

"Actually, this might be just what I need," she nodded, folding the magazine and tucking it into her bag beside her reporter's notebook instead, then starting off towards the towering building in the distance.

Lena Luthor studiously poured over every inch of the portfolio in front of her, going over even the finest details on every page. She didn't say anything – barely even acknowledged the presence of the other woman in the room, who sat on the opposite side of the desk, waiting patiently, her eyes flitting from screen to screen on the wall behind CatCo's newest CEO as she watched the various news reports.

She could have stood up, waltzed around the room, done an Irish jig on the table and juggled fire to her heart's content, and Lena still wouldn't have noticed – her attention was fully engaged on the portfolio that had been presented to her by the young woman. But Abigail Storm was used to difficult bosses – she worked for one of the UK's richest and most difficult men, but she respected him a great deal and when he'd asked her to come to National City and present this business venture to Lena Luthor on his behalf, she'd been honoured that he'd even entrusted something of such great importance to her.

He was also expecting a complete and full rundown on everything Lena had to say about his proposition, which was why she was waiting patiently now, not allowing her mind to wander or distract her in any way as she waited for Lena to finish reading.

Finally, Lena set down the last page, and Abigail sat up a little in her chair – not a lot, just a slight change in her demeanour – but it told Lena that the woman was now giving her full and undivided attention once more.

"Well, it's certainly an interesting proposition," she said at last, closing the portfolio and clasping her hands lightly together on top of it.

Abigail folded her hands neatly into her lap as she smiled, sensing a 'but'.

"Well put together, and sound in principle, but what he's asking for in return is simply too high a price, I'm afraid. Far too steep, even for me."

Abigail nodded patiently, her rich mahogany eyes meeting Lena's dazzling emerald ones steadily. "That's why Lord Sugar has granted me permission to negotiate on his behalf."

Her accent – full English with just the tiniest hint of an American twang on some words – was refreshing for Lena to hear. The woman was clearly confident as well. With her accent she carried a confidence that was virtually impossible to miss. And this gave Lena confidence as well. She may have been new to the media business, but science and technological businesses she could pretty much run standing on her head. This woman knew what she was talking about, and that was reassuring to Lena that this wasn't all just a waste of time.

Abigail crossed one leg casually over the other before resting her hands back on her knee again. "Provided the price is reasonable."

"I see," Lena smiled, sensing an opportunity here but knowing that she couldn't rush into anything. Like all good business deals this would take time and careful negotiation. Something that thankfully she was very good at.

The main foyer of CatCo Worldwide Media was a complete contrast to the foyer of the Daily Planet. Where the Planet was polished oak, marble floor and 'retro' in it's decor (most people said outdated, Lois insisted it was classic antique), CatCo was modern, chrome and glass and sleek. Seriously, there was a LOT of glass, Lois decided as she crossed the foyer and stepped into the elevator, hesitated for a moment as she realised she had no idea which floor she needed, then just decided to go to the top and work down, floor by floor if she had to.

Stepping from the elevator on the top floor, she was greeted with a whole load more glass, as well as several desks with people tapping frantically away at keyboards, whilst phones rang and there was a general frenzy of chatter that made Lois feel right at home. It was the sound of stories being told, news being reported, journalism at work. It was the heart of the newspaper. The very soul, even. This was where the pages came to life.

Navigating the sea of news reporters with the ease of someone who knew their way around the world of news and media, Lois spotted what she was looking for, and made a beeline for it.

The largest office on the floor with an assistant's desk right outside.

Walking up to the desk, she stopped in front of the blonde woman and smiled brightly, noting with relief that she was in the right place when she saw the nameplate reading "Eve Teschmacher" sitting proudly on the desk.

"Hi," Lois glanced through the glass doors and into the office briefly, to see two women deep in conversation, sitting on either side of the desk.

"Can I help you, Miss…?"

"Tschudin," Lois' head snapped back to the front as she remembered her cover, just in time. "We spoke on the phone earlier."

"Miss Tschudin," Eve smiled politely as realisation dawned. She glanced into the office as well, for a moment, then back to Lois apologetically. "I'm so sorry, Miss Tschudin. Miss Luthor is still in her meeting. Perhaps I could reschedule you for a more convenient time?"

Lois glanced to her watch. It was only just gone ten. That gave Lois plenty of snooping time until Miss Luthor's current meeting ended and she needed to impersonate Miss Tschudin. "No, no I can wait. I cancelled my other meeting anyway, but thought I'd get here early, just in case."

"Of course," Eve nodded. "Can I offer you any refreshments while you wait?"

"No I'm good. Actually," Pulling the Catco magazine out of her purse, Lois opened to Kara's article on Lena. "I suppose this must sound like a bit of an odd question, but I'm quite the fan of Kara Danvers. I've read every one of her articles, and her writing is excellent. Which is partly why I came early. I was hoping to maybe meet with her? I won't take much of her time, but I'd love to say hello, maybe get an autograph?" Lois smiled endearingly.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," Eve smiled apologetically in return. "Unfortunately, Kara's away at the moment on a family matter." Her eyes shone with sympathy.

"Oh, so you mean she's not…" Lois turned, sounding disappointed whilst scanning the room for empty desks. "Not here… anywhere?"

Standing, Eve pointed over Lois' shoulder. "She usually sits right there, but not this week. We're sure she'll be back soon, though. Maybe you can see her next time?"

As Lois turned and saw Eve sitting again, Lois added, "Actually, you know what, I'd love a coffee, if that's okay?"

"Of course," Eve rose quickly from behind her desk. "How do you take it?"

Lois was tempted to say "warm and wet", but instead knew that she needed to stall the young assistant for as long as possible, so reeled off the most ludicrous order she'd heard someone place when she'd been in the queue for a coffee once. "Half-decaf, quarter non-fat, quarter 1%, half whole milk, two splenda, one sugar." Lois held up a finger, nodding, then added, "Make that a sugar in the raw if you have it, though I'm not picky, and drop in an ice cube when it's done. Don't want to burn my mouth."

Eve nodded, her eyes wide and mouth agape. "O-o-kay… What?" She grabbed a sticky pad and a pen from her desk. "Could you repeat that, please?"

"Really?" Lois fought her smirk back. "Sure. Half-decaf, quarter non-fat, quarter 1%, half whole milk, two splenda, one sugar in the raw if you have it, though just sugar is fine, and an ice cube." Lois watched Eve scrawl furiously and when the blonde made eye contact again she asked, "You get that, sweetie?"

"Yes, I think so."

"I'm sure it will be fine. I'll drink it however, really."

A series of indiscernible expressions crossed Eve's face before she finally said, "I'll get your coffee."

Lois waited until the other woman was about fifteen feet away and then called out, "Oh, Miss Teschmacher?" When the other woman stopped and turned, Lois asked, "Do you have any cinnamon?"

Eve blinked rapidly. "Cinnamon?"

Smiling, Lois waved the blonde off. "It's fine, don't worry, just ignore me. I don't want to be any bother."

A nod and a stumble as she left was Eve's only response.

Chuckling, Lois headed off toward the desk that had been pointed out as Kara's and mumbled to herself. "Well, that should keep you busy for a little while. Now, Kara, let's see if you left us any clues here."

She poked around on the top of the desk first, taking note of the small pink vase with the flowers that had seen better days, a small potted plant, a framed picture of Alex and Eliza, an orange and clear plastic rectangle filled with maybe a dozen pens, a big glass candy dish filled with...Lois peered inside. Yep, candy. No surprise there. Helping herself to a piece, Lois continued to search.

There were two mugs, one with just a 'K' on it that seemed to exist to hold plastic utensils and another bearing the picture of a white puppy that looked suspiciously like Krypto. Lois smiled as she reached out a hand to touch the photo of the dog for a moment. Hopefully, he was having a great time protecting Mrs. K and keeping her company.

There was also a ream of paper and a folder with a few news articles about a local food shelter, but nothing that looked relevant.

Moving to the drawers, Lois started in the long one across the top, narrow, shallow, and filled with a collection of brightly colored pens, brightly colored sticky pads, brightly colored paper clips, brightly colored rubber bands, brightly colored… "Okay, okay, Little Miss Sunshine, that is some seriously colorful office crap."

Closing the top drawer and moving onto the top left, she found mainly steno notebooks, both new and old, staples, other generic office supplies plus a few things that seemed odd until one realized that someone might need to replace their mouse and the receiver of their phone quickly and without being noticed if they had super-strength.

Pulling out the latest used steno notebook by date, Lois shoved it into her purse for later snooping and opened the large bottom drawer. It was filled with file after file, all neatly organized and labeled, and making Lois raise her eyebrows. The reporter began to flip through things, checking briefly to make sure Miss Teschmacher hadn't yet returned with the order that would have pissed off the most polite of underpaid baristas. Seeing she was still in the clear, she dug through each file by name, hoping something stood out. When she found one labeled 'L. Luthor', Lois pulled it out, dropping it onto her lap as she began to look through it.

Though all of the Luthors were 'L. Luthor', this file was on Lena, the new CEO of CatCo.

Lois flipped through some early articles, some of which looked familiar. A few were only vague memories of seeing the young woman in the background when her older and at the time much more famous brother was arrested. Lena was a relative unknown back then. But not for long. Article after article delved into the young heiress' life, hack jobs with badly veiled innuendo that made Lois' eyes roll wildly. Then came the article that Clark wrote after the problem with the oscillator on the Venture led him to Lena. Lois gave it a cursory glance as she had a vague memory of the details, mainly remembering that Clark had cleared Lena of any wrongdoing and been fairly impressed by the young CEO. Lois flipped through a few more articles which led to some from Kara which were very different than earlier takes. It started with something about an alien detection device and then led to things about green energy and even about the arrest of Lena's own mother.

"Yeesh, poor kid," Lois muttered with a sigh.

As she moved to the back of the file, she found not articles or newspaper clippings as she'd expected, but actual photographs. It started with just Lena, but then there were some of Lena and Kara. The two young women were sitting on the couch together, on a park bench while Lena made a rather appalled face at the three, no four! scoops of ice cream Kara balanced on top of her cone, the duo walking conspiratorially together with their shoulders knocking as they both grinned shyly, and the last a four-strip from a photo booth with the two of them smiling and laughing like they'd known each other forever and every joke was some long-known secret. They were obviously great friends. They looked really close, almost like—

"Ahem!"

Startled from her reverie, Lois nearly dropped the file as she closed it quickly, her head snapping up as she stared into bright emerald eyes that bore into her with an intensity that could rival Clark's heat vision. Her hand caught in the proverbial cookie jar, Lois smiled awkwardly and said, "Oh, I'm so sorry. I was just looking for—"

"You're not Kara Danvers," Lena Luthor said, her arms crossed imperiously across her torso as she continued to glare.

"Nooo, I'm not," Lois agreed cautiously.

"So, why are you sitting at her desk and going through her things?" The only change in her visage was one eyebrow lifting.

Lois swallowed hard and with it swallowed down her immediate response. She shoved the file rather haphazardly back into the drawer, kicking it closed as she stood and stretched out her hand, smiling. "I'm Miss Tschudin. Miss Eugenia Tschudin from Helios Solar Energy. I'm your eleven o'clock."

Eyebrow still crooked and arms still crossed, Lena replied, "Still not Kara Danvers."

"Ah…" Noticing the woman several feet behind Lena but watching with a keen interest, the same one who had been in the meeting with the CEO not long ago, Lois stepped around the young Luthor and extended her hand. "Eugenia Tschudin, Helios Solar Energy."

Obviously taken aback at first, the woman nearly instantly recovered and responded politely as she took Lois' hand, her English accent clear and strong. "Abigail Storm, personal assistant to Lord Sugar."

"Wow, firm grip there." Lois shook out her fingers, then smiled over her shoulder at Lena before returning to Abigail. "Seems Miss Luthor is a busy woman."

"She is," Lena agreed, clearly still not amused.

At that moment, Eve arrived with a cup of coffee in hand. "Miss Tschudin, here you are. I apologize for the delay but—"

"Not at all. This is perfect." Lois took the cup, sipping it quickly as it gave her something to do other than wilting under Lena's intense glare. But almost instantly she had to work to contain several explosive coughs. Finally, she garbled out, "Found the cinnamon I see." She smiled in a fairly convincing manner and said, "Delicious."

"Eve," Lena walked around Lois with only mild annoyance. "Will you please assist Miss Storm in setting up a follow-up appointment? She and I have further details to discuss."

"Yes, Miss Luthor," Eve replied as she hurried back to her desk, the entire party moving in that direction. "Any particular date or time, Miss Storm?"

Lena shrugged and looked at Abigail.

"Well, I fly back to London tomorrow, but I'm coming back over in two weeks time? Would that be too long?"

"That's fine," Lena replied with a nod. "I look forward to seeing you then. Today was a pleasure."

"Moreso for me, Miss Luthor."

"Please, give my regards to Lord Sugar."

"Of course." Abigail turned to Eve to book herself in for two weeks time, whilst Lena made her way back to her office again, freezing and turning to see Lois following in her wake. Again the imperious eyebrow rose. Her gaze wandered to the clock on the wall and then back to the woman who had been following her as she said, "You're my eleven o'clock?"

"Yes," Lois said slowly. "Your receptionist said you might be able to see me early."

"Oh, I can see you Miss Tschudin." Lena crooked a finger as she turned and led the way into the office.

Lois pulled at her collar slightly, trying to let out some of the heat from the laser glare that had been set on her once again before she followed the CEO into the office.

She looked around as Lena closed the glass doors behind them both, seeing several familiar photographs along the walls. A few were of the Man of Steel himself, but others were less well known. All had been taken by a very famous photojournalist.

"Is this your office?" Lois asked as she placed her coffee on the corner of the desk and pulled out her notebook and pen.

"Was that a topic of this meeting?"

"No I…" Lois caught sight of a nameplate bearing the name 'James Olsen'. She cleared her throat and said, "No, of course not. It just doesn't seem very you."

"And you know me?"

"You're a Luthor - the last one standing in fact. Lena Luthor, CEO of the company formerly known as Luthor Corp, now L-Corp, current CEO and owner of Catco Worldwide Media and you made number two on the list of 'Top Thirty Under Thirty'. Quite frankly, you should have made the top pick, but it's always about a pop star, isn't it? You're sure to make the list again this year." Lois paused, then added, "Hey, Rihanna turned thirty in 2018 so maybe now you'll take that number one slot this time."

Leaning back in her chair, a small smile lit the CEO's lips, though it was clear she was still trying to suss Lois out. "Who are you?"

"Eugenia Tschudin, Helios Solar Energy," Lois replied without skipping a beat.

"And what do you do there?"

"We uh… We're a green energy company. You know." Lois pointed up. "The sun. You can't get much greener than that."

"I could argue that, but let's say I don't. Answer me this. Who is Helios?"

"Helios? Helios is my employer."

"Well, yes. Originally, though, who is Helios? From where did the name come?"

"I don't follow," Lois replied as she tried to surreptitiously slide her cell phone out of her purse for a google search.

Her head tilting slightly to the right, Lena dryly informed, "The son of the Titans Hyperion and Theia, Helios was the personification of the sun in the Greek mythos. Brother of the Goddesses Selene, the moon and Eos, the dawn."

"Oh, oh! You meant originally like from a marketing picking the name perspective. Why didn't you say so?" With a sigh, Lois shifted in her seat. "Look, Miss Luthor, I don't want to get off on the wrong foot with you."

"I'd say we're beyond that."

"Right. Sorry."

Pointing, Lena's finger wavered slightly. "I know you."

Lois shook her head. "Don't think so. Pretty sure we haven't actually met before."

"I've got a rather good memory for faces, and I've seen yours before."

"Well, that's possible. Maybe Lex—" As Lena tensed, Lois immediately realized her mistake.

"You know my brother?"

"That was not a threat."

"You know my brother, and that's not a threat?"

"I… jeez, good going, Lois," she mumbled. "Definitely not a threat. I knew him, past tense. At least, I thought I knew him. I guess none of us did."

Varied expressions crossed the CEO's face seemingly in a millisecond before it was schooled back to neutrality again. "Who the hell are you already?" There was heat in her voice now.

Realising the game was up and her cover was blown, Lois sighed. "Lois Lane. I'm a reporter for the—"

"The Daily Planet," Lena finished, cutting Lois off. "Yes, I know who you are, Miss Lane. I recognise you now from Lex's trial. And I'm afraid if you're here for an interview, as… lovely as it is to finally put a face to a name, I'm going to have to ask you to leave. I have a business to run, and I don't have time for your theatrics."

"Theatrics? Ouch. Look, I'm not here for an interview, but I am doing my job, Miss Luthor."

"I seem to remember you are employed by the Daily Planet, not CatCo," Lena retorted. "Again, if you consider this to be some kind of interview, you didn't get the job - not that we're hiring. Now, do you know how to show yourself out, or would you like me to call someone to assist you?"

"Oh, I am doing my job. I'm working on a front page story for The Planet right now," Lois nodded fervently as she stood up and walked around the room, trying to release some of her nervous, pent up energy. "See, word on the street is that Supergirl has gone missing and the Government is trying to cover it up. But I believe the public has a right to know what's going on. So, that's what I'm doing."

"Making yourself a nuisance?" Lena retorted, pressing her finger against her temple as she closed her eyes as if to ward off a headache… perhaps one with the last name of Lane.

"I'm an investigative journalist. Clue is in the name," Lois sighed, annoyed by Lena's apparent lack of interest. "Means I investigate my stories. Verify every source, check out every angle, and right now I'm looking for information."

Lena sighed and set her pen down a little too forcefully. "So why are you bothering me with this? Why were you rummaging in one of my employee's desks?"

"I was looking for Kara Danvers. She IS Supergirl's official reporter, isn't she? Only I couldn't see her out there, is all, so I poked around a bit."

Opening her eyes, Lena rolled her hand from her wrist. "Oh, Kara's taken some time off to be with her mother. Apparently, she's not well. Kara's sister has been called away on last minute business, so Kara is handling things on her own."

"Ah," Lois nodded, knowing full well this wasn't the truth. But Lena didn't know that Kara and Supergirl were one and the same, so in Lena's eyes at least, she was telling what she believed to be the truth. And to contradict her would give the game away. "Shame. I was looking forward to finding out her opinion on what was going on."

"Why don't you ask your Man of Steel?" Lena replied, turning her eyes back to the report on her desk – an indication that the conversation was over. "They are cousins, aren't they?"

"Superman and Kara?"

"Superman and Supergirl."

"Oh, right. Yeah, course they are." Lois paused for a moment, struggling with her next words because saying them out loud all of a sudden made them real. All the time she didn't say it, she could deny that any of it was happening. But if she was going to get Lena's help, she'd have to stop denying it and accept the truth of the situation.

"The thing is, Superman's gone AWOL too."

This caught Lena's attention and she looked up again. "Both Supers are missing?" Arms pressing on the desk, she stared intently at Lois. "They're both truly missing?"

"And the Government is covering it up. I tried to interview a few of their agents, but they were giving nothing away."

"How do you know Government Agents?"

"They came to ask me if I knew where Superman was," Lois lied quickly. "So I turned the questions back on them. Didn't work though."

"I see." Lena sat back in her chair and set her pen down again, finally giving Lois her full attention. "And how long have they been missing?"

"Long enough for people to notice."

"Are you writing a story on their disappearance, or actively trying to help in finding out what's happened?"

"I can't believe I'm about to say this," Lois shook her head. "But right now the story isn't important. Finding the Supers is."

Lena nodded again slowly, processing this information. Then she sat forward. "So what can we do?"

"You mean you'll help me?"

"Supergirl is my friend. If she's in trouble, I want to help. At first, I thought you were only interested in the story, but if you're actually trying to do something about it, then count me in."

And just like that, Lois found her first ally in the hunt for the missing Supers.


	3. Ooh, what does this button do?

It had been decided that Lena and Lois would move their investigations over to L-Corp, across the city because they could use one of the labs, and they would have a lot more privacy to work in, without the prying eyes and ears of a hundred curious journalists watching their every move.

On the way, Lois used the last of the money J'onn had provided to buy a cheap phone - a burner cell - that she could use to make calls without the government agents or anyone else knowing it was her or tracking her calls.

Once at the huge skyscraper building, she and Lena stepped into an elevator, and Lena used a thumb pad to scan her thumb print and grant her access to someplace that was apparently top secret.

Or at least Lois assumed it was - people didn't make a habit of installing fingerprint recognition for no reason, after all.

After a couple of moments of awkward silence whilst they waited for the elevator to ascend, the two women stepped out into some kind of laboratory, or workshop area. Lois was surprised - she'd been assuming Lena would take them to her office and do some technical stuff on an iPad then command other people to do the dirty work for her. But no, this looked like Lena's own personal lab where she did her own hands on work.

This became especially obvious when Lois noticed the desk over in the far corner, near one window that looked out over National City. And judging from the view, Lois guessed they must have been about halfway up the massive skyscraper. Yet another shocker. If Lena was going to have a secret lab that only she could access, Lois was going to have placed it at the top, near her office, for convenience if nothing else.

Crossing the room to the desk, Lois sat herself down in the swivel chair to observe the contents.

The desk itself was a clean stainless-steel design, sleek with rounded edges. The pen holder, stapler, tape dispenser, even the pens were of a matching stainless steel look. All very uniform and downright boring, compared to Kara's myriad of rainbow colors in her desk. Even Lois' haphazard desk at the Daily Planet had more charm than this one did.

It was possible the stationary was all ordered from the same place or as one unit. Also on the desk was a monitor that dwarfed the set up, easily 32" across, but set far enough back that it didn't dwarf the viewer. There were no plants, no family or friends photos, and the only mug was plain and black, sitting on a matching silver drink warmer that was powered off. The entire scene would have been without any touch of mirth or whimsy except for the dotting of gadgets off to one side. These stuck out like a sore thumb, and Lois was immediately drawn to them. There was a Rubik's cube, all six sides solved, an abacus, a 3-D star-shape puzzle made up of interlocking pieces of wood, a robot that stood about eight inches tall, a miniature wooden catapult, a small bust of Albert Einstein with paperclips on his head like hair, and a miniature Supergirl figurine floating maybe half inch above its base. Lois picked up the star and turned it over a few times, quickly dropping the pieces as it fell apart in her hands. Brushing them to one side, she slid a few beads of the abacus about, poked Einstein's nose, waved a hand under the Supergirl figurine to try and work out how it was floating, then took the Rubik's cube, as Lena finally came over.

"You're in my seat," she said haughtily, one eyebrow rising as she made a shooing motion with one hand. Lois evacuated the seat but took the Rubik's cube and Einstein with her. Lena rolled her eyes.

"Put them back."

"I'm just looking," Lois replied, turning her back on Lena. As Lena flicked on the monitor and brought her PC to life, Lois set the Einstein back on the desk, minus the paperclips. Then she set the cube back beside him, completely muddled and in no sense of order at all. She hadn't even attempted to make any kind of pattern.

Lena barely suppressed a groan as she took the cube and in less than a minute had it back to uniformed perfection. Lois was impressed by that, in particular. Then she held up the paperclips, which she'd threaded into one long paper clip chain, with a triumphant grin.

"Oh for the love of— " Lena grumbled as Lois went for the robot next. But a sharp hand across the back of her wrist stopped her short with a yelp of surprise.

"No." Lena spoke firmly - a mother telling a child in no uncertain terms that this particular item was off limits.

"But— "

"No!"

Now it was Lois' turn to pout as she turned away, pulling the cell phone from her purse that she'd bought on the way to L-Corp. Dialing a number that she knew off by heart, she held the phone between her shoulder and her ear as she pulled out her reporter's notebook and ballpoint, and began to wander round the lab, taking the rest of it in as she waited for the person on the other end of the line to pick up.

"Perry, hi! It's me… Lois… Lois Lane?… You know, your star reporter?... Yes me! Listen, I need a favor… What? Oh yeah, I forgot to phone and say I wouldn't be at work. Last minute story came up in National City and… what? Yeah I'm here now… what do you mean 'what am I doing here?!' I just told you, working on a story… I need some numbers. Contacts. Names. Give me people to talk to here, Perry. You're always barking at me to verify my sources, so give me some sources to verify… No, no I wasn't calling you a dog, Sir. Not at all. I didn't mean it like… I know it sounded that way but… What? Oh, Clark's looking after Mrs K. She… .she… had a, uhm… a nasty fall last week and… oh yeah, yeah I'm sure she's fine, but the barn roof collapsed in that storm a few weeks back, so Clark's gone to fix it… to be fair Perry, Clark and I are on vacation, so he's kind of entitled to - actually that's a point! I'm on vacation! Why are you getting your cornstalks in a twist over me not being there when I'm not actually supposed to BE there this week!" Lois sighed heavily, pressing a hand to her head. "Perry, please, just give me names and numbers, that's all I'm asking… Thank you."

She turned back to Lena and pointed to the phone. "He put me on hold." Then she turned back to the lab, continuing to wander as she waited for Perry to come back with the information, and the on hold music played softly into her ear, the bright, melodic sounds of Johann Strauss' Blue Danube.

With a little waltz in her step, moving in time to the music, Lois passed from workstation to workstation - the soundtrack to her explorations playing through the phone as she remained on hold.

The rest of the room was filled with a series of different work stations. There was what looked a little bit like a microwave, a little bit like a power tool. It was black along the top and bottom with a black back. On the exterior top and bottom it had a red lid. There were black arms along the front to frame it and a panel at the top that could obviously be used for programming, along with and a big red button that practically screamed, 'On.' Inside was a piece of machinery along the top that could obviously slide from side to side on the rails provided, and the base on the bottom looked to move allowing for full movement along the interior of the casing.

Checking over her shoulder to see if Lena was watching - she wasn't as she'd set to work at her computer - Lois reached out and pressed the button. Almost immediately the machine came to life, and she watched in fascination as an ear began to take shape. It was only then that she realised it must have been some kind of 3D printer, of sorts. Leaving the printer to finish it's job, she moved onto the next workbench.

There was nothing on this one but a monitor, powered down, and a square of plastic about 4" by 4" that sat over a thin pool of liquid. On the back of the square was a switch. Reaching out and flicking it on, Lois watched as it illuminated the pool of liquid below and turned on the monitor. On the screen, a creature came into view. It looked a bit like a ray. Its body was round, but it had a tail, and it began to move, rippling and moving across the fluid as it swam. The screen was much larger than the dish below in which it was held, so it was obviously being magnified, and in its center was a golden line with several smaller lines branching off of it a bit like a spine with a rib cage. Leaning closer, it looked entirely metallic, just like gold.

"Huh, you're cute," Lois grinned as she watched it swimming around for a moment. Then when it didn't do anything immediately different, other than swim, Lois once again moved on, still leaving it turned on, just as she had with the 3D printer.

The next workstation had a square of glass, about 6" in either direction that was braced along its sides, top, and bottom in a sturdy frame. There was no sign, no indication of what this was. The only other thing on the table was a hammer that was chained to the desk and well within striking distance of the glass. Once again glancing back towards Lena, who was still engrossed in her work, Lois set the phone down on loudspeaker in case Perry came back, then picked up the hammer and studied it for a moment. She looked from the hammer, to the glass, then back to the hammer again, the dots connecting in her mind. Glancing back to Lena again, just to make absolutely sure, Lois got a better grip on the hammer then swung it at the glass, expecting it to smash under the impact. Ready to leap back and deny all responsibility, Lois wasn't expecting the glass to hold firm. The impact jarred her arm, and she bit back an exclamation as she dropped the hammer and rubbed her elbow for a moment, frowning.

Then she picked up the hammer again and this time knowing what to expect, swung it at the glass once more, bracing for the impact again. The glass didn't even crack under the impact. Lois nodded, impressed, as she set the hammer down again and picked up her phone, taking it off loudspeaker and replacing it between her shoulder and her ear. "Come on, Perry, what's taking you so long!"

The workstation next in line held a strange contraption that was like a lattice work of metal, bright and silver, akin to Swiss cheese (albeit light on the cheese and heavy on the holes). It was incredibly strong to the touch but also much lighter than expected - about half the weight of steel but apparently just as strong, Lois discovered when she tried to bend it. She poked and prodded it a few more times, then grew bored and moved on once more, not really knowing what it was or understanding it's design and purpose.

"Now this looks more interesting," Lois grinned as she bent over slightly to get a better look at what was going on. Two plates sat with a thin string between them, and a bright red button on the base. Pressing it curiously, Lois watched as the top plate started to rise, and rise, and rise up to four times the height it had been. The string stretched the whole time but held. It stayed like that for about thirty seconds before the machine, with a big exhalation of air, released again and went back to its earlier decompressed state. When it did, the string resumed its earlier form, showing no sign of being stretched or misshapen. "Huh, neat." She reached out and pinged the string a few times, listening to the noise it made. Then she pressed the button to start it up again, pinging the string as the plate rose and listening to the varying pitch as the string stretched. "Awesome," She grinned, all set to do it again, when a noise from another workstation caught her attention and once again, she left the machine running so that she could go and examine this newest one - there now a trail of machines and robots running of their own accord, unsupervised and undirected.

"Gross," She frowned as she watched what appeared to be raw sewage vanishing into some kind of filtration system. Or at least she assumed it was, given that the water that came out the other end was crystal clear. Lois considered sticking her fingers in the water for a moment, then thought better of it and held back.

Which was when she saw the gigantic wall of Plexiglas and the big DANGER sign on the front.

Head tilted to one side, she walked over to it, peered at the robotic arm behind the glass for a moment, then set her phone down, not even realizing that Perry had hung up a while back and the music had stopped. Looking around, she found what appeared to be some kind of remote control - a bright yellow brick-like object, and shrugging, she pressed the big green button.

The arm began to move and a red laser beam shot out, burning into the sheet of steel it had been aimed at. A small joystick on the remote was soon being pressed and maneuvered by a curious Lois and the robotic arm turned towards her, the laser cutting a line through the Plexiglas and heading straight for Lois' exposed neck.

Lois' phone began to ring at that moment, vibrating itself off the table where she'd sat it.

Lena looked up and jumped out of her seat suddenly. "LOIS! Look out!"

"Oh shoot," Lois exclaimed, ducking down to pick up the phone as the laser passed overhead, the reporter completely oblivious to the danger she'd just been in and the very near miss. "I got it, I got it." Standing up again, she pressed the phone to her ear, just as the sheet of Plexiglas fell in two, the top half crashing to the floor.

"Perry, hi! What took you so long? Hang on, let me get my notepad… where did I put it? Oh, there it is. So here's what I need..."

And leaving the laser running, now burning a hole in the nearby wall instead, she passed back across the room and grabbed her notebook and pen, blissfully unaware of the carnage she'd inadvertently left in her wake.

"Oh for fuck's sake!" Lena exclaimed, rushing over to the myriad of machines to turn each of them off, one by one, starting with the laser.

Lois, meanwhile, was leaning against yet another workbench, scribbling notes into her notebook as she listened to Perry.

"Uh huh… yep… got it… yep… uh huh… seven five? Oh five seven. Right… yep… yep… yep… uh huh… wait, how do you spell that? Never mind I'll work it out… That's brilliant, thanks, Perry. You're a star… Yes I promise Clark and I will be back soon… Yes, I promise I'll stay out of trouble… Yes I promise I'll give your regards to Mrs K… Yep, okay, uh huh, bye!"

Hanging up and brandishing her notebook triumphantly, Lois spotted several oddities about the workbench she'd been leaning against. They certainly caught her eye, and she couldn't resist picking a few of the items up from within a Plexiglas tank - A spoon attached to a big paper clip, a broken mug with two chopsticks firmly adhered to its side, three matchbox cars, with their wheels facing out, all stuck to an empty pickle jar. Lying about were several small, white tubes with the L-Corp logo on them, looking suspiciously like super glue tubes. And hanging from a robotic arm was another tube with the same markings.

Her curiosity once again getting the better of her, Lois was just about to examine the larger tube of glue, when Lena's voice rang out, echoing across the lab.

"LOIS LANE, DO NOT TOUCH THAT!"

Lois flinched and jumped back, alarmed. "I wasn't doing anything, jeez!"

"If you touch that, you won't be doing anything for a very long time. That creates a bond on a molecular level. Do you understand?"

"It sticks things to other things?" Lois shrugged.

Lena pinched her brow. "Oh, good lord. Forever!"

"Forever?" Lois repeated thoughtfully. "And that's… bad? Huh, I could think of some great uses for this! Have you got any spares?"

After glaring at Lois, Lena walked over to her computer and pushed a button, then spoke out loud. "Jeffrey, if I called security, how quickly could a team get here?"

_"__Under a minute, Miss Luthor,"_ A voice responded through a loudspeaker somewhere in the room. _"Is there a problem? Do you need me to send some personnel?"_

Raising an eyebrow, Lena stared Lois down for several seconds before finally saying, "Not at this time, but I'll keep that in mind. Thank you, Jeffrey."

_"__Yes, ma'am. Have a good day."_

Lois blinked at the conversation, then slowly held up her hands - notebook and ballpoint clutched firmly in one, but the other empty, and backed slowly away from the workbench, making a point of not touching.

Like a child in detention, she stomped over to the desk with a little more attitude than was actually necessary and flopped in the chair. "Fine, be boring then. What's going on? What did your little tech whizzy things find out?" She motioned to the monitor as she was talking, though her tone had taken on a bit of a monotone, like she was asking a question even though she actually didn't care for the answer and was only asking for the sake of it.

Lena clicked a few keys on her computer again, then motioned for Lois to come closer though the CEO's attention was entirely on the screen as she began to talk. "Actually, I've been thinking through some abnormalities here at L-Corp, anything that could even remotely be related to our missing Supers. It's a long shot, but I'd reviewed some reporting last week with Sam, our new CFO. Originally, it looked like we had some shipments that went through a local warehouse go missing, but when we investigated it further with accounting, there was no actual record of them. We were able to track it back to a glitch in some computer software."

"And what's that got to do with us?" Lois asked. "You're telling me the Supers disappeared because of a glitch? Is that even possible?"

"No, of course not. But what if there was no glitch? What if the so called glitch was manufactured to hide L-Corp resources being used to for some other, more nefarious purpose?"

"Ooooh, you mean like Lex-type dodgy dealings? Now I'm with you. Do you suspect your new CFO?"

"Sam?" Lena shook her head. "If anyone's above suspicion it's her. Anyway, she wouldn't have the means to do it. She's new to the company. Whoever did this would have to have had long term knowledge and access to L-Corp systems. If anything, Sam's uncovered something here."

"Okay, well yay for her. And where is this shady base of operations?"

"I wouldn't call it a 'shady base of operations'. L-Corp has several warehouses downtown. We use them to store material we're bringing in by ship across the Pacific. From there things are either moved to our facilities here in National City, or out to any number of our other facilities or subsidiaries across the country or Canada. The paper trail, well, the glitch, leads there, but there isn't an actual invoice. We'll have to go to the facility and pull the files there, maybe download the video records for the past few weeks and cross-reference them with actual shipments to look for an anomaly. We do that, and we'll find our glitch."

"Finally! Some proper investigative journalism!" Lois jumped to her feet. "What are we waiting for? You drive. I've got some calls to make, and I can't promise I won't hit anything again if I call and drive." The way she said it seemed to indicate that it wouldn't have been the first time she'd done that, either.

Lena pushed to her feet, brow pressed together as she asked, "Excuse me, did you say, 'hit anything again'?"

"Oh don't worry, was only my fiancé," Lois shrugged. "The first time, anyway. The second time it was his dog. But they're both fine."

"You… you hit your fiance AND his dog?" Lena looked around her lab, and the destruction that was nearly contained. "What do you think the odds are that the poor man will make it to the wedding?"

"I didn't hit them at the same time, obviously," Lois frowned as if this was obvious. "And believe it or not, I actually made it down the aisle - we were halfway through our vows in fact before some big national emergency struck and I hitched a lift on Airforce One. Which got shot out of the sky. Superman came to my rescue yet again, and Clark and I just haven't found the time to rearrange since. We will though."

After several stunned blinks, Lena nodded. "I'll drive. I'll always drive."

"Sounds good to me," Lois smiled. "Gives me more time to phone my contacts and 'verify my sources'." Then as an afterthought she added, "When I say I hit them, I do mean with a car. I didn't just go up to them and punch them, or anything. Well… actually I did punch Clark once. But he deserved it."

"You know what, you don't need to explain. I think the less I know about your… relationship the better." Lena walked past Lois and back to the exit.

"Oh, honey, you have no idea," Lois muttered quietly to herself as they left the lab, using the same elevator as they'd arrived in to take them back down to the ground level.


	4. indiana Lane and Luthor Lena Luthor

Lois stood staring at the the 1964 Aston Martin DB5. It was sleek and silver with mirrors set further forward near either bumper and a slightly raised intake on the hood. Over a third of the car was nose, and the back window curved down slowly to help manage wind resistance. While the words, **James Bonds' car!** jumped around in her brain, what Lois actually said was, "You're shitting me!"

Raising one eyebrow, Lena sniffed politely as she walked past Lois to the right side of the car and said, "I don't believe I've ever done any such thing."

"Hey, I thought you were dri—" Looking down at the license plate that stated 'LL007', Lois became momentarily distracted. When she looked up, Lena had climbed into the passenger side, so the reporter headed over to the driver's side and pulled open the door. "Hey, I thought you said you were...?" A look of dawning realisation crossed her face as she also climbed in. "Oh, the wheel's on that side. How British. You know, I'm getting a very James Bond vibe about all this, which is quite frankly awesome." Lois ran a hand appreciatively over what looked to be either a very, very antiquated GPS device, or some kind of radar scanner in the centre of the dash console beneath the radio.

Lena started the car with a healthy thrum of the engine, which received an excited chuckle from the passenger's side, then she checked her mirror before putting the car into reverse and pulling out of the space. "I need to stop by my place before we head to the warehouse. I just need to pick something up."

"Ok, sure," Lois looked around at the cabin of the vehicle with its dark leather seats, brown, wide steering wheel, numerous dials and odd switches and covered things that seemed out of place. "Hey, you know this really REALLY looks likes James Bond's car. Is it like some kind of replica? Are you a secret James Bond fanatic?"

Clearing her throat, the young CEO pulled carefully out into traffic. "Well, it is a 1964 Aston Martin DB5, the same model that was used in Goldfinger. So yes, you could say it's a James Bond car."

"I did say it. Well, I said it was like it, not that it was it. Because that would be insane."

"Did you know there were two of them?"

"Two of what?"

"There were two identical cars used in the movie - two cars used by James Bond. One was used for many of the close up scenes, and the other was the one that was actually outfitted with many of the gadgets and devices seen in the movie. It's what was called the 'props cars'," Lena informed casually as she drove the stick shift vehicle like it was second nature to her.

Lois blinked several times, taking that all in. "Oh. Well, I guess that makes sense. They trashed about seven of the ten DB10s in Spectre. So, did you buy one of those Bond cars, then?"

"No."

"Oh." Lois deflated back into her seat and pulled out her phone. "So this is just a regular, mundane Aston that just looks like the one from the film? Boring. Quaint, but boring. I'm going to start on my calls."

"In 1997, the props car went missing from a warehouse where it was being stored in Florida."

It was such a casual, throwaway comment, it was almost as if she'd been talking about the weather. But it had the desired effect as Lois sat bolt upright again, turning to smile at the CEO as her eyes lit up with hope "Alright I'm listening. What happened to it?"

Lena shrugged. "No one knows. The insurance company paid out the claim - over a million dollars in liability. It's become one of life's great mysteries, and no one has ever seen the car again." Turning to look at Lois briefly, a sly little smile touched Lena's lips and she shrugged. Almost as if there was something funny - an inside joke, or something only she knew. "No one."

Lois was quiet for a moment, and then she very nearly exploded with excitement. "Holy fuck! Are you saying this is the missing Bond car?!"

Looking at the road again, Lena shrugged. "I didn't say that."

"O… kay. Are you saying this **isn't** the missing Bond car?"

There were several moments of silence, and then Lena pulled up at a red light. Turning to look at Lois again, she slowly lifted one eyebrow while her lips curled up at the corners. "Well, I didn't say that either."

"I knew it! This is the missing Bond car!" Lois bounced in her seat as excited as a child on Christmas morning. "Does it do stuff?! What does it do!? It does stuff, right!?" She started to reach out and touch things, pressing panels to look for secret compartments, looking for dials and switches with which to play. Suddenly Lena grabbed her hand, pulling the excited reporter's attention back to the driver.

Staring at her passenger, Lena said quite seriously, "Lois, I'm the CEO of one of the largest media companies in the country, and I'm still responsible for my family's business on top of that. I'm the only Luthor not dead, incarcerated, or sought by the federal authorities for attempted genocide. Since I was a teen, my pursuits have been curing cancer and finding a way to bring clean and renewable resources of energy to every corner of this world, as well as advancing medicine to benefit the future of mankind." Pulling back her hand, Lena suddenly smiled an actual, proper and genuine smile, her nose crinkling up. "Of course, it does stuff! I'm a bloody engineer first!"

Lois' smile lit up the entire car. "Make it do something! Make it do something!" Reaching out she flipped open the top of the gear stick, hoping and praying to any and all gods out there that - yes! There it was! The big, red button!

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Lena chuckled as the light turned green and they pulled off again. "Because you'll end up out there." She raised a hand and pointed to the roof, and her meaning became suddenly very clear. Slowly, Lois closed the flap again and retracted her hand.

"Ok, point made. Do these all do things?" Her hand moved to the somewhat safer display of switches built into the armrest between the seats, and accessed when she flipped it open. Glancing down, she read the various descriptions of each switch.

"Oil… nails… smoke… M-guns? What's - oh wait machine guns! Cool! Out rear and out front?"

"Extendable bumpers to use as battering rams."

"Ooooh! Plates?"

"Changes the number plates."

"Bet that's handy for speed traps."

"I wouldn't know."

"You mean you've never been tempted to go through a speed trap deliberately fast and then switch the plates when the cops pull you?"

"I can safely say that thought never crossed my mind. I don't go out looking for trouble, Miss Lane."

"Ugh, what a horrible way to live… aha! Is this one the—" She didn't finish her sentence because she was already turning in her seat, having flipped the last of the switches which read 'bullet screen'. A no doubt bulletproof (given its name) sheet of metal slid up into position from the trunk of the car, to completely cover the back windshield, blocking it and protecting it from gunfire.

"Yes!" Lois mini-punched the air, flipped the switch and watched the sheet retract back into its original position so she could see out of the rear window again.

Lena couldn't help it, and chuckled at Lois' sheer enthusiasm. "I take it you're a big Bond fan?"

"Huh?" Lois turned and sat properly back in her seat again. "Oh, not at all. Well, not the man himself. Though I do love the cars and the gadgets. It's all just so… spy-fi!"

"Spy-fi?" Lena raised an eyebrow.

"Uh huh. Like sci-fi, but with spy stuff instead of space."

"Sci-fi isn't all about space, you know," Lena rolled her eyes. "It's called Science Fiction, not Space Fiction."

"Actually, James Bond went to space in Moonraker."

With a loud sigh, Lena pulled over to the sidewalk and cut the engine. "Stay here and don't touch!" She warned, pulling the keys from the ignition and taking them with her. Lois pouted, but made no further protests - mainly because as soon as Lena had run inside the building she'd parked in front of, Lois began pressing buttons and turning dials, only to find that none of them worked. Lena had rigged them all to work only when the keys were in the ignition.

"Spoilsport," Lois pouted again, pulling out her notepad and flipping it to the page of contact names and numbers Perry had given her. Dialling the first number on her burner phone, she set about arranging times and meeting places for these contacts, whilst she waited for Lena.

…..

It was about fifteen minutes later when Lena returned from whatever she was doing upstairs. She placed a laptop bag on the floor behind her seat then climbed back in and started up the engine again.

"Yeah, yeah, hold on a sec," Lois said, sticking her thumb over the mic of her cell phone. "You get what you needed?"

"I did indeed," Lena replied, checking traffic again as she pulled out into the flow. "I'll need a decent system if we're to retrieve data from the warehouse. I trust I didn't keep you waiting too long."

"It was fine." Lois looked at the bag in the back. "It took you that long to get a laptop?"

"Well, if I'm going to be out of the office for an extended period, I needed to get someone to come in and cover CatCo. I called the former acting CEO, and he was able to free himself to return to the office. We had to cover a few business items. Then I had to phone my CFO at L-Corp. I didn't think you cared to hear boring business talk though."

"Not really. So who'd you call? Your former acting CEO and CFO. Who are they?"

"James Olsen and Sam Arias."

"James? You called James?"

Glancing over at Lois, Lena nodded. "Yes, do you know him?"

"Yeah, you could say that. We used to work together. He was my photographer out in the field. Did you mention me? Did he ask about me?"

"I don't make it a common practice to speak about personal matters with my employees," Lena replied, fairly tartly, Lois couldn't help but notice. "Kara's an exception, but she was a friend before we started working together. Likewise with Sam." Taking the exit for the highway, Lena asked, "So is there a message you'd like passed onto Mr. Olsen?"

"What? No. I think your 'no fraternization policy' is a - Oh, Eddie! Sorry, I totally forgot… yeah, sorry. Okay, so where is the bar located?" Lois took notes while making encouraging noises. "Great, just great. Now did you say this guy's name was actually Peewee or does he just go by Peewee, like a nickname? Okay, got it. Eddie, thanks a million. I owe you one. If there's anything I can do… Italian Pastries? Sure. Where's the shop located?" Taking notes on the name and address of the shop, Lois added an extensive order of the exact type of pastries and cookies to be ordered. She tapped her pen on the pad. "Got it. I'll pick that up when I'm heading back to Metropolis. Eddie, it's been a pleasure. Take care."

"A successful endeavor?"

"Eddie's got a sweet tooth."

"Apparently. The next exit is ours." Lena pointed to a sign saying there was an exit in three miles.

They sat in relative silence for the next three miles, and then took the exit. They wound their way through a few city streets before finally coming out in an area that was a series of warehouses and other urban facilities. After a few turns, they came to a fenced-in warehouse that looked much like any other and was only identified by its address. The gate outside was large with barbed wire around the top, security cameras, and an inner gate with a sign warning that the fence was electrified. Uniformed men roamed the facility in groups of two with a dog, each close enough that they could see the next in the distance. There was one gate in and one gate out, and a security booth stood there, one guard remaining inside and the other coming out to meet the ladies when their car stopped.

Leaning down, the security guard said, "I'll need to see some identification."

"Uh, I got one of these?" Lois said hooking her thumb over toward the driver's side where Lena sat.

Frowning at the passenger where a driver normally sat, the security guard looked past Lois as his expression changed to one of startlement. "Miss Luthor! Ma'am, we didn't know you were coming."

"Surprise inspection. Open the way for us, won't you?"

"Yes, ma'am. Right away, ma'am." Snapping upright, the guard spun and began hurrying the other guard to open the way.

As the gate opened and the car slid through, Lois laughed. "Well, that was fun. Is your life always like that, people jumping and hurrying to do what you want when you glare at them?"

"On the good days, yes."

Pulling up into a space near the front of the warehouse building, Lena killed the engine and stepped out.

Lois climbed out a little more slowly, almost reluctant to leave the amazing James Bond Gadget Car, but knowing she couldn't stay in it forever. Shutting the door carefully, as Lena leaned into the back to retrieve her laptop bag, she suddenly let out a loud exclamation.

"Oh crap!"

"What?" Lena stood up sharply, looking at Lois and seeing, perhaps for the first time, a look of genuine panic flicker across the other woman's face. Following Lois' gaze towards the gate they'd only recently driven through revealed a black SUV that had pulled up. "I assume you know who they are?" she asked, turning to look back at Lois for confirmation - only to find that the woman had vanished. Blinking in surprise, Lena looked around for a moment, then stepped round the car to find Lois crouching beside the front passenger wheel, peering over the hood of the car. "Um, what are you doing?"

"Huh?" Lois jumped, startled. "Oh, stone in my boot. Don't mind me." She was making no move to do anything with said boot, however, and was simply staring at the black SUV still.

With a sigh, Lena turned back toward the two federal type agents that had now stepped out and were flashing what appeared to be badges at the security guards. Leaving her laptop bag with Lois, Lena stormed over to the gate, and as she got closer, snatches of what the two agents were saying became audible.

"'It's a federal issue… need to know basis… you don't want to hamper a federal investigation… how do you spell your full name again?..."

She stopped by the gate and cleared her throat, getting their attention. "Can I help you? Because this is private property, and you're trespassing."

"Agents Vasquez and Johnson of the FBI, ma'am. We're here on federal business," one of the two agents turned to her, flashing her FBI badge and stepping forward, clearly used to this working and allowing her entry to most places.

But Lena didn't budge. She simply folded her arms across her chest and glared sternly at the two agents. "What federal business?"

"I'm afraid it's need to know, ma'am. Now please, you're blocking our investigation and—"

"And unless you have probable cause or a search warrant to enter these premises, you're going to turn round and leave again," Lena said calmly, cutting Agent Vasquez off, mid 'federal' spiel. "Though I'm assuming, being that you're with the FBI and all, that you've done your research and have such a warrant in hand already? In which case, it should be presented to the owner, who happens to be myself. So may I see it please?"

The two agents looked uneasily at one another for a moment, then shook their heads in defeat.

"I see. Well, in that case, I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to leave. And if I might remind you that this property contains all the land between this point and the city street? I'll be happy to call a few friends at Quantico, Agent… Vasquez, was it? Should you need clarification on where exactly the boundaries of my property end."

"That won't be necessary, Miss Luthor. Thank you for your time." The two agents hesitated for a moment longer, and Lena raised an eyebrow. Taking this silent cue that they'd outstayed their welcome, they climbed back in the SUV and put it into reverse.

Lena watched them pull away, waiting until they disappeared from sight before she nodded slowly. She turned to the guard at the front gate. "No one gets in here but me or someone with me. I want all transportations suspended, in and out, deliveries both ways, until further notice. Is that understood?"

"I… I… Yes, Miss Luthor."

"Excellent. That order doesn't get lifted until you hear it from me either in person or over the phone. That means verbal confirmation, nothing in writing or via email. Oh, and we're also going to enact beta protocols."

Brow furrowed, the guard asked, "Beta protocols, Ma'am?"

"Yes. Look them up. Today's password is chromosome. You'll need to go confirm that." She waved the man off, back to the guard shack, with one hand.

He hurried away and came back moments later. "Password confirmed. Thank you, Miss Luthor."

"Thank you. Remember, not even I get in without that password. Any questions?"

"No, Miss Luthor."

Glancing over her shoulder to make sure the SUV was still out of sight, Lena said, "And if the FBI comes back—"

"They won't get in, and you will hear about it, Ma'am."

Her smile was small but satisfied. "Excellent." Lena strode back to fine Lois standing by the hood of the car now. "Everything all right?"

"Sure. Why wouldn't it be? I was going to ask you that. Who were those people?"

Eyes narrowing nearly imperceptibly, Lena grabbed her laptop bag. As she headed toward the warehouse entrance she said, "FBI. They wanted access to the warehouse."

"Why?"

With a little grin over at her companion, Lena replied, "Let's see if we can't find out."

Lois grinned in reply. "Well, now you're talking, Luthor. If the FBI want in, we must be on the right trail. Let's crack this egg and see what the yolk's made of."

They were about halfway to the entrance when Lena held out a hand, stalling Lois' progress. "Careful, don't step on the snake."

"The fuck?!" Lois shrieked, leaping a good few feet backwards in alarm.

"Seriously?" Lena crouched and carefully lifted the small green garter snake, moving it off to some shrubs along the side of the building and away from the walkway. Smoothing her skirt, she shot Lois a withering glance. "I thought you were Lois Lane, the intrepid and fearless investigative reporter."

"Intrepid? Absolutely. Fearless? Definitely. Most of the time. But, but…" she pointed to where Lena had set the snake down. "Snake! Big fucking snake just walked right in front of us and you just picked it up and why did it have to be snakes? I hate snakes!"

"Big? That one couldn't have been more than a foot long. Lois, garter snakes are harmless. "

"Size isn't everything!" Lois snapped as she stormed towards the warehouse, her hands clenched into fists by her sides as she focussed continually on the shrubs, almost as if she was daring the snake to "walk" right back out again.

With a head shake and a sigh, Lena hurried her pace and caught up to Lois. "I apologize. We all have our fears, and it's justifiable. For instance, I'm terrified of family reunions."

Lois tried and failed to contain a snort of laughter at that, covering it up with a poor attempt at a coughing fit. "Yes well, you know one of mine. I'm not telling you my other one."

"I won't press." As they reached the warehouse, Lena entered a security code and pulled open the door. "Come along, Indiana Lane."

Lois opened her mouth to protest, realised what Lena had said and grinned a huge grin instead, her 'snake ordeal' forgotten at last. "Hey, I like that. Indiana Lane." She repeated it, as if testing it to see what it sounded like, then nodded, grinning. "Alright, I'm right behind you Luthor… Lena Luthor."

Lena glanced over at Lois but only shook her head, saying nothing.

The warehouse was like nothing Lois had ever seen before, as she stepped through the heavy iron doors and stared upon a tall and long building, filled almost to the brim with crate after crate stacked high upon pallets. There were section markers both painted on the floors and hung high from the ceilings. It stretched longer than the eye could see, and the boxes were only coded with alpha-numeric markings that made sense to someone but without a legend were total gibberish.

Letting out a long, slow whistle, Lois looked up and around as she trailed after Lena and held up two fingers. "Okay, two questions."

"Go ahead."

"Number one: where are you keeping Jimmy Hoffa in here? And number two: jumping back on the Indiana theme, which one of these things has the Ark of the Covenant in it?"

With a quiet chuckle, Lena replied, "Oh, the Luthors had nothing to do with Jimmy Hoffa's disappearance. Feel free to publish that. You won't find him here."

After several beats of silence, Lois asked, "No witty comeback about the Ark?"

Smirking over her shoulder, Lena tilted her head to the side then marched onward, head forward.

"Hey, whoa whoa whoa, hold up there Indy! After the Bond car, you can't just lead a girl on like that!"

Lena crooked a brow. "Not familiar with Luthor foreplay?"

Opening and closing her mouth, several comments flew through the reporter's mind. Finally, Lois made the rare choice to say nothing and, head down, trudged past the CEO.

"Do you know where you're going?"

"Yeah, I uh…" Lois' head swiveled left and right before her gaze fell upon a computer terminal and she smiled. "Right there."

"Fine investigative skills there, Miss Lane."

Both women made their way to the computer. Pulling out her laptop, Lena powered it up. She dragged out a cable and plugged her system in with a USB cord. There were several commands entered as the warehouse's desktop responded.

"Does this place seriously not have wireless?"

Lena shook her head. "All records are brought over to L-Corp by courier daily. The system is segregated and secure. There's no internet."

"No inter…" Looking around again, Lois let out a breath, "Okay, now I'm only half-joking about that Ark of the Covenant. It's not in here, is it?"

Lena shrugged. "This was Lex's facility before it was mine. Soon we'll have the complete log and a listing of all the contents. I'm asking for dates things were shipped in and out in the last year along with the volume and weight of everything here just in case anything stands out. If we have a crate of… oh, say a thousand ping-pong balls and they way a half-ton, that's a discrepancy."

"Or someone takes ping-pong way too seriously," Lois joked. "So, a list of the complete contents of this facility, huh? You do realize you let a reporter in here, don't you?"

"Oh, it's much worse than that." Lena looked up from her typing to see Lois' furrowed brow and added, "I let Lois Lane in here. Some might say I let THE reporter in here."

Mouth hanging open for three heartbeats, Lois suddenly broke into a bright smile and said, "Hey, thanks, Luthor. I take that as a compliment."

"I had no doubt that you would." With a final keystroke, she moved her hands away from the laptop. "All right, that should do it. It's downloading the data now. Time to download is approximately four minutes." Lena's brows furrowed as she rubbed her hands together.

"What is it?"

"Hmmm? Oh, I just hate wasted time. I can't help but think about how I could be making better use of these minutes."

"Four minutes?" Lois shook her head. "Jeez, and Clark says I'm a fidget. Hey!" Stooping down, Lois stood up again with a crowbar in hand. "Want to crack a few of these open and see if we can find Mr. Hoffa?"

"Again, we had nothing to do with his misadventures."

"Jimmy Hoffa was before your time, sweetheart. You weren't even born in 1975. Hell I wasn't even born then."

"Neither was Lex," Lena countered. "When Hoffa went missing, my father was still running Luthor Corp. Lionel had many shortcomings, but he was a good man."

"It sounds like you miss him."

Playing with the edge of her jacket, Lena's fingers moved up and down while she seemed to consider her response. "He brought me home when my birth mother died, took me in when I had nowhere else to go. He was always kind to me, always made me feel loved." Meeting Lois' gaze, she added, "There are things I wish I had know about him before he… well, I wish I had gotten to know him better, but I feel lucky to have known him."

"Sounds like you loved him," Lois said with a gentle smile.

"Very much, and I was loved by him." Clearing her throat under Lois' gaze, Lena asked, "What about your father?"

"The General?" Lois laughed without humor. "Oh, The General and I have a complicated relationship."

"The General?"

Lois nodded.

"Hmmm. Well, complicated sounds like my mother and me."

"Lillian Luthor?" Eyes bright as pennies, Lois leaned forward. "Now that is a woman I'd love to meet!"

"You're kidding!"

"Nope!" The reporter's grin grew. "There are so many things I'd love to ask her. Boy-o-boy, that would be the interview of a lifetime. I mean, given my well documented relationship with The Man of Steel, that lifetime might not last terribly long, but what's life without a little risk, right?"

"You're a bit of a madwoman, aren't you?"

Lois continued to grin. "Now you sound like my fiancé."

"Clark Kent? I met him once. I liked him. He was… There was a bit of steel under that Kansas wheat."

Lois blanched and looked away, checking the download time remaining on the laptop.

"If it's ever possible, I'll see if I can arrange that interview."

"Hmmm?" Lois turned back to the CEO.

"My mother, if the authorities ever catch up with her, I'll see if I can arrange an interview for you. Of course, whichever federal agency will have to agree, but I'll put in the good word with my mother for you."

With a loud clang, the crowbar fell from Lois' hands and rattled against the cement floor. "Are you serious?"

Lena startled momentarily but recovered quickly. "I don't see why not. The only other friendly reporter I know is Kara, and she wouldn't want to see my mother nor do I expect my mother would agree to speak with her."

"I'll hold you to that, Miss Luthor. Thank you."

Lena smiled and nodded, then went back to her laptop. The download was halfway there. As Lois fidgeted nearby, growing restless again, Lena struck up further conversation as they passed the time. "So you call your father 'The General'. Why?"

"Because that's what he is. A General."

"My father was a businessman, but I still called him Father."

"Like I said, The General and I have a complex relationship. And by complex, I mean we just avoid one another these days and don't talk unless we absolutely have to." She hopped up to take a seat on one of the nearby crates, her legs swinging back and forth a little as she glanced down at her feet.

"When my mother died, he was unable to cope with raising two daughters alone. So he modelled his parenting on what he knew best - the army. He implemented a chain of command, so he was in charge of me, and I was in charge of Lucy. We both resented him for it, but it was the only way he knew how to deal with the hand he'd been dealt. We tried our best to fall in line and be the good little soldiers he wanted us to be. Yet my best was never good enough. Lucy joined the army, worked her way up to Major, and became Daddy's Golden Girl. While I became a huge disappointment in his eyes. I was the failure, and Lucy was the star."

"Because you became a journalist?" Lena asked softly, surprised by this new, almost vulnerable side to a woman who had, until then, been all brass and mouth and confidence on two legs.

"No. Because I got involved with Superman." Lois jumped down off the crate again, clearly still in fidget mode despite her sombre tone. "The General is, to put it bluntly, a huge opposer of anything and everything alien. My journalist career wasn't so much a problem until the Man of Steel arrived. He saw how close I was getting to this "off world security threat", and he warned me to back down. I refused, we argued and needless to say, our relationship has been somewhat strained ever since.

"Sounds like he and my mother would get along far too well. She hates aliens too."

"Well, actually, there's only one thing he hates more than aliens, and that's fugitives who evade capture."

"Perhaps not then," Lena nodded.

There was a moment of silence that quickly became too uncomfortable for Lois, but she couldn't think of anything else she wanted to say on the matter - she'd said too much as it was, in her eyes at least. Lena was still a Luthor, after all. A rather likable Luthor, but a Luthor nonetheless.

Thankfully, said Luthor came to her rescue by providing a new topic of conversation for them both. "So, you and Superman?"

"What about us?" Actually, Lois had changed her mind. She didn't like this topic any more than she had liked the last one.

"Well, I've read a lot of your articles about him. It's clear through your writing that you care a great deal about him."

"Of course I do," Lois nodded slowly again, sensing a trap.

"What does Clark say about it?"

Lois blinked for a moment, then laughed. "You think that because Superman and I are close, we're romantically involved, even though I'm engaged to Clark Kent?"

"Well, I wouldn't have put it like that exactly…"

"But you wanted to know if I had any dirty little secrets about my love life with Clark Kent, and my non-existent, so called affair with Kal-El, the Man of Steel from Krypton?"

"You know his name."

"I know your name. Does that make us an item?"

Lena scoffed and shook her head. "No offence, Lane, but you're not my type."

"And you're not mine either." Rather than be annoyed by these comments, Lois was actually highly amused. "Oh honey, if I had a dime for every time I've been asked that question about Superman…"

"You still haven't answered it, though."

This momentarily wiped the smile off Lois' face. "Huh. Good detection skills you got there, Poirot. We'll make a reporter of you yet."

"I have no desire to become a reporter."

"Says the woman who just bought an entire media company."

There was another moment's silence, and then Lena chuckled. "Touché."

Thankfully, Lois was spared any further discomfort in this particular line of questioning by a beep from the laptop to indicate the transfer was complete.

"Looks like our files are ready," Lena noted.

"Ah, great. Maybe we can start to solve this little mystery. What does it tell us?" Lois asked eagerly, glad the topic had finally steered away from her once more. She wrote the news, after all. She wasn't comfortable being the centre of it.

"Well, there's still a lot of data through which we'll need to dredge. It's going to take some time. I also added the video files for the past two weeks. I'm curious as to who made that delivery and took delivery of the time in question… if indeed we do have something that's gone missing."

"Okay, so what do you need to sort through all of this?"

"Just me and my laptop. It will be rather boring for you I'm afraid. I'd suggest we—"

"How about lunch?!"

Lena blinked several times. "Lunch?"

"Well sure." Looking down at the time in the corner of the laptop, she looked back at the CEO. "It's after one. I don't know about you, but reporters don't work without a constant influx of fuel. Take me to your local hotdog cart."

Eyebrows skyrocketing, Lena took a half-step back. "Oh, good lord. Perhaps it's just a reporter thing. Kara's eating habits are clear now."

"Excuse me?"

"That, Miss Lane, will not be happening. Have you ever been to Sheerwater in Coronado?"

"Ah… I can't say that I have."

Shutting down and closing up her laptop, Lena began to put everything back in order. "We'll get my usual table. It will supply us with ample privacy and protect our arteries from heart disease."

Lois laughed. "I should have known you'd be one of these health nuts. Low carbs, no fat, skinny vegetable crap. Honestly, a good old fry up every now and then never killed anyone, you know?"

"The American Medical Association would disagree." Slinging her laptop bag over her shoulder, Lena asked, "Ready to go?"

"As I'll ever be," Lois shrugged. "Though I'm making note of the exact location of this place because one day I will be coming back, and I will be finding that Ark!"

"Good luck with that, Indiana Lane."

Lois' eyes lit up. "Indiana Lane? I really do like that! What are my chances of convincing Clark to like it too?"

Lena faltered slightly but then recovered as she headed for the exit. Looking over her shoulder at the woman next to her, the CEO grinned. "Well, I barely know this fiancé of yours, but you do rather seem to be a force of nature. I assume convincing people of things you want is part of your DNA."

"Nah, usually I just ask, and if that doesn't get me anywhere, I take," Lois shrugged, giving no indication at all if she was joking or not. Then she tilted her head, looking up as if she expected to see something there. "How do you think I'd look in a fedora?"

Pausing at the door, Lena shook her head. "Like you left your bullwhip at home. Let's go, Miss Lane. Lunch awaits."


End file.
